Vision Scientist Teresa Puthussery, OD, Ph.D., Is Awarded MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant

BERKELEY, Calif.—Teresa Puthussery, OD, Ph.D., a neurobiologist and optometrist at the University of California, Berkeley, was named a 2025 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow on Oct. 8 for discoveries about how retinal cells encode visual information in the primate brain—work that researchers say could pave the way to new treatments for eye disease and vision loss, the university announced. The MacArthur Foundation named 22 fellows this year who will each receive an $800,000 unrestricted stipend paid out over five years in recognition of exceptional creativity and promise in their field.