Jay Pratt

Jay Pratt is a Canadian psychologist and academic specializing in visual cognition, attention, perception and motor control. He is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Pratt is a fellow of the Psychonomic Society, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Psychologists and the Royal Society of Canada.

Early life and education Pratt grew up in Edmonton Alberta, and completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta in 1987, followed by a Master of Science in Physical Education and Sport Studies from the same institution in 1991. He earned a PhD in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1996.

Academic career Pratt joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto as an assistant professor in 1996. He was promoted to associate professor in 2001, then full professor in 2005. He has published over 270 research articles that have accured more than 15,000 citations (Google Scholar).

In addition to his research, Pratt has held several senior administrative roles at the University of Toronto, including Chair of the Department of Psychology from 2008 to 2012 and Vice-Dean of Research & Infrastructure in the Faculty of Arts and Science from 2013 to 2020. He subsequently served as Acting Vice-Dean of Graduate Education from 2020 to 2021, Interim Chair of the Department of Psychology from 2023 to 2024, and Acting Vice-Dean of Research and Infrastructure in 2025.

Pratt is a former associate editor for the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, and Visual Cognition. He was previously affiliated with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Centre for Vision Research at York University.

Honours and awards Premier's Research Excellence Award, Government of Ontario (2000–2005) Fellow of the Psychonomic Society (2001) Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (2009) Clifford T. Morgan Best Article Award, Psychonomic Society (2016) Faculty Award of Excellence, University of Toronto Alumni Association (2017) Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2018) Fellow of the Society of Experimental Psychologists (2021) Psychonomic Society Mid-Career Award, Psychonomic Society (2021)