Gordon E. Legge

Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota

Photo of Gordon Legge and Fergus Campbell in front of Isaac Newton’s cottage at

Woolsthorpe, England (Ca. 1984).

Gordon Legge at Louis Braille’s family home

at Coupvray, France (2011)

I received a Bachelor's degree in Physics from MIT in 1971, and a Master's degree in Astronomy from Harvard in 1972. In 1976, I obtained my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Harvard.

I next spent a postdoctoral year with Fergus Campbell at the Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge University. In 1977, I joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota where I am now a professor of psychology and neuroscience, and Director of the Minnesota Laboratory for Low-Vision Research.

My research deals with visual perception and cognition. Currently, projects in my lab focus on the roles of vision in reading, object recognition, and spatial navigation. In all of these areas, I have a special interest in the problems encountered by people with low vision.

My lab has been widely recognized for applying the principles and methods of basic visual science to explain the difficulties encountered by people with low vision. One practical outcome of our research is the development of the MNREAD Acuity Chart, designed for use in normal and low vision.

Other areas of my research include studies of binocular vision (including stereopsis) and contrast coding.

In my research, I've had the good fortune to work with many superb colleagues and students. I'm always eager to meet new students with an interest in vision research.

I am a member of the editorial board of Journal of Vision . I recently served a four-year term on the National Advisory Eye Council. I was a member of a National Research Council committee involved with the redesign of U.S. currency bills. One result of our work is the large-print numerals on the new bills which are helpful to people with low vision.

I was born in Toronto. I now live in Minneapolis with my wife Wendy, two cats named Phoebe and Lilly, and a sweet chocolate Labrador mix named Hugo. My son Alex is grown up and living in New York City.

I enjoy running and swimming, genealogy, bird watching and listening, and creative writing. Have a look at my science fiction novel. On summer weekends, my family and I visit our cabin in northwestern Wisconsin where we enjoy the tranquility and beauty of the lake and woods.