Elizabeth (Zab) Johnson

Elizabeth (Zab) Johnson is the executive director and senior fellow of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. Her research focuses on vision and visual behavior. Her work spans physiological approaches in the retina and early visual cortex to using eye tracking to investigate how human observers look and navigate through the world, how these processes unfold over time and with experience, and the role of social cognition and decision making in these processes. As an expert on color vision, she collaborated with Lenovo to develop computer and tablet screens with features that provide a more personalized color experience, and has worked with US military special operations forces and the FBI to improve their visual training and assessments.

Before joining Wharton in 2016, Zab was an assistant research professor of neurobiology at Duke University’s School of Medicine, where she also launched the Duke Institute of Brain Sciences. She received her PhD in neural science at New York University and an AB in psychobiology from Mount Holyoke College. She is passionate about how neuroscience can impact and improve many aspects of how we make choices, lead organizations, and live our lives. Her research and practice strives to push applications of neuroscience outside of the traditional laboratory, in order to find new solutions for real world challenges that impact both business and society. She co-instructs Visual Marketing (MKTG2390/7390) with Barbara Kahn.