Mattias Nilsson

2022 – Award from The Swedish Dyslexia Association and the Marianne
Bernadotte scholarship fund for "Important contributions to reading 
research".
2019 – IVA-award for "Research with prominent potential for trade and 
industry in the field of digitization". Awarded by the Royal Swedish 
Academy of Engineering Sciences (Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien - IVA).
2016 – EiNAR award (Excellence in Neuroscience Annual Reward). Awarded by
the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.

In my research, I seek to understand how eye movements and oculomotor control reflect the functioning of the human brain–both in health and disease, and across the lifespan from childhood to old age. I approach these questions from a computational perspective, developing models that deepen our theoretical understanding of the eye–mind relationship and creating practical tools for the early detection of neurological disorders. While much of my work centers on eye tracking, I have a broad interest in all measurements related to sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processes. In recent years, I have focused on children’s reading development, exploring how eye movement patterns during reading reflect underlying cognitive difficulties, including dyslexia. I am also investigating how neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect the oculomotor system, and whether eye movements can serve as early indicators of these conditions. To address these challenges, I make extensive use of predictive modeling and other machine learning techniques rooted in artificial intelligence (AI). These tools not only help identify early markers of atypical brain function or neurological disease but also provide powerful means to study the complex and fascinating relationship between the eye and brain.