Timothy Sweeny

Timothy Daniel Sweeny

Professor

What I do

I study visual perception. In my research, I examine how neural mechanisms shape what people see, how perception guides social and emotional behaviors, and how consciousness works. I also collaborate with clinical psychologists to examine how visual perception contributes to the experience of people with anxiety.

Specialization(s)

Vision, Perception, attention, cognitive neuroscience, Emotion

Professional Biography

Tim Sweeny is a Professor in the Psychology Department. He received his PhD from Northwestern University in 2010 and spent three years as a post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, before starting the Visual Perception, Emotion, and Cognition Lab at DU in 2013. Scholarship, teaching, and mentorship are equal part of Dr. Sweeny's identity at DU, reflected in his research and courses which examine how neural mechanisms shape what people see, how basic perceptual processes guide social and emotional behaviors, and how visual processes operate among clinical populations. In his courses, undergraduate and graduate students become both consumers and creators of research, and use visual perception as a launching point to connect with many disciplines across Psychology, Computer Science, and Engineering. Undergraduate and graduate students in the VPEC Lab take their research outside the lab to connect with scientifically-underserved students around Denver via the Vision Science Outreach Program, which has interacted with over 2,600 K-12 students since 2013.

Degree(s)

  • Ph.D., Psychology, Northwestern University, 2010

Featured Publications

Mihalache, D., Feng, H., Askari, F., Sokol-Hessner, P., Moody, E., Mahoor, M., & Sweeny, T. D. (2020). Perceiving gaze from head and eye rotations: An integrative challenge for children and adults. Developmental Science.
Lamer, S., Michael, D., & Max, W. (2018). Rapid visual perception of interracial crowds: Racial category learning from emotional segregation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147, 683–701.
Elias, E., Michael, D., & Sweeny, T. D. (2016). Ensemble perception of dynamic emotional groups. Psychological Science, 28(2).

Graduate Mentorship

​​​​​​Dr. Sweeny will NOT be reviewing applications for fall 2026 admission.