Dear Lucia,  

It has been a real privilege knowing you. Your friendship over the years and the fun times we had with Karen at your house will be our cherished memories for ever. I’m so sorry to have learned of your passing only recently, when I reached out to resume our usual autumn conversations about research.   You were passionate about science, generous with your time and ideas, and I learned so much from you—not only about science, but about kindness and grace.  My deepest condolences go to your many friends and family, who loved you. May you rest in peace in the arms of our Maker and your beloved David. 

I'm incredibly saddened to hear of Lucia's passing. She was a profound and important figure in my life, and I will miss her dearly. I will never forget the hours I spent sitting in her office at BU or in her home in Cambridge, listening to stories of her incredible life and career. The day after her death, I graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge, in no small part because of her mentorship and support throughout my life. She had messaged me to say that she would try to watch the ceremony by live stream, and only now did I realise that my response had never been received. 

I'm so grateful that this memorial was set up, to remember Lucia and to inform her loved ones of her passing. 

Lucia was a dear colleague and friend. We met at the International Neuropsychology  Symposium quite regularly, and last time we had a wonderful trip in Provence after Cassis's meeting in 2018..

Lucia was a very generous person, with also a broad interest and curiosity in many fields outside her scientific life..Still she worried about what she would doing once retired..During last winter she was hoping to be able to travel to Europe, possibly in nest autumn, if her health has improved.  We used to chat on the phone regularly during the week-end, most often in French that she spoke quite fluently. Last time, no one was at the end of the line..

Lucia, I truly miss you.

I have known Lucia to be a constant presence in the Boston neuroscience and MEG community. I was first introduced to her at a seminar at MIT five years ago but it is only recently that I got to know her when I reached out to her to decide on a parting gift for my postdoc advisor, Matti Hamalainen, who she was close to. Since then, she kept tabs on my professional growth and provided me advice and mentorship on navigating the academic landscape as an early career researcher. 

Beyond her scientific achievements, Lucia was an kind individual who cared deeply about her friends and young scientists. We were planning to meet up to discuss a potential collaboration and data analysis. After her retirement, she emphatically told me that "I am not retiring from science ... in fact must properly return to it with no teaching assignment". I can only think of the missed conversations and collaborations we could have had. You will be missed dearly.

Regret profund că am. pierdut o prietenă minunată. ! Ne-am. cunoscut la14 ani când începeam studiul liceal în orasul Arad.

Pe parcursul anilor de studii ne-am impritenit ,prietenie ce a durat până acum când Lucia ne-a părăsit.

Ne-am ajutat reciproc in diferite etape ale vieții. Atunci când mama ei îmbătrânise ,fiind și singură am gestionat problemele personale și ale casei ,astfel ca Lucia să fie liniștită că mama, de care era atât de departe ,este în siguranță.

Lucia s-a dovedit a fi o persoană ,caldă onestă , loială ,respecta si impunea respect. Emana multă empatie si bunătate.,un om minunat ,demn de urmat !

Drum lin printre stele, Lucia dragă ,cred în revedere !

Elena Ardelean .

I remember when I arrived in Boston, so long ago. I was a lost and lonely young PhD student. You welcomed me with your friendship and gave me the gift of feeling part of a new family. I remember coming to your home with Federico. You let us cook our authentic Italian food. The results weren’t always remarkable, but that didn’t matter.

Thank you, Lucia, for being my family for a year of my life. I will remember you for that, always.

My letter to Lucia…now

Dear Lucia, 

I remember when David was visiting us in Germany. He had just met you and was telling us how lively and creative you were. Short after you married, David died… too early.

I finally met you in Boston, when we just arrived with Martino from Germany in October 1981. You invited us to stay at your apartment in Cambridge, while we were waiting for our container to arrive. You prepared a present for Martino, a small cardboard house that we put together, imagining how our new place in Wellesley would be. You were there for us from the very beginning. 

A few years later, you were at our house, when I arrived home with Allegra, to celebrate our new child. As a gift for the occasion, you gave me a colorful embroidered dress, which I still treasure and wear in the summer.

And every Christmas Eve you organized a dressed up Santa Claus to give gifts to our children. Remember that?Martino thought that Santa’s eyes were too young for a man that old!!! And Allegra wanted to know if the bag was full or fake!!!

Unfortunately, your health declined recently and I tried to support you as much as I could. I was so worried that Lucia could not be Lucia any more.

You were so much fun, a quick mind, generous, so happy when others were happy, such an excellent cook, I loved your good taste for literature and music… you took me to the Boston Symphony my first year in Boston.

You were so very perceptive and a friend of 44 years.

So long my friend, much love, Barbara 

When I met Lucia in 2000, we immediately bonded over our shared Italian roots and a mutual fascination with computational vision. That connection quickly grew into a deep friendship that accompanied me throughout my life.

Lucia was exceptional: brilliant in her field, generous with her time, and devoted to her friends. More than anything, she loved being with her students. She poured herself into building a lab where people felt seen and supported. A true sense of community blossomed under her care, and that was something she cherished deeply.

Lucia was with me through every major step of my life. She was my professor in graduate school, my mentor throughout my career, but above all, she was a true friend. She was always there for me, supporting me in every way she could. She was my cheerleader and, at times, my harshest critic, but I always knew her honesty came from a place of love.

Just a few weeks before her passing, she had started talking about college with my oldest son, now a rising senior. It meant the world to me that she was already becoming a mentor to the next generation in my family, just as she had been to me.

Lucia kept her Italian heritage alive in everything she did, through food, movies, music, and books. There was never a time we met when we didn’t reminisce about something we loved about Italy. Those shared moments kept us grounded and connected, even as we built our lives far from home.

I have so many fond memories of Lucia, from quiet Sunday afternoons in the lab to deep conversations over lunch in Cambridge. When I worked at MIT, she would drive from her office just to meet me. That was Lucia: always making the effort, always showing up for others. As life got busier, our friendship endured through phone calls, texts, and emails. When I saw her this past January, we promised each other we’d try to meet more often. Sadly, she left too soon.

Lucia had a beautiful gift: she cared about you and made you feel like you mattered. Her example of strength, independence, and courage will stay with me always. I am endlessly grateful for the years we shared.

Lucia welcomed me and my family into her beautiful home on Harvard Street when we first arrived in Cambridge.

She was truly one of a kind. I still remember our first meeting—a common friend introduced us, and she came across as quite direct, even a little severe. We were young and timid at the time. But within just a few days, she revealed her true self: a warm, generous, and caring soul who treated us like younger siblings.

She offered us everything—hospitality, Italian food, good wine, music, affection, and an abundance of scientific insights. Being around her meant being nourished in every way. We spent more time with her along the years, as she became a true part of our family. We will never forget the gem she was within the rough.

Lucia had that rare ability to combine intellectual brilliance with deep humanity. Her presence lit up the lives of those around her, and her influence—both personal and scientific—will stay with us always.

My condolences to Lucia's family. I first met Lucia when the neighborhood experienced a devastating flood due to a City Broken 40" Water main. We all had to evacuate our home and gathered at a street corner wondering if our homes would survive. From that day on we slowly became closer friends. Over the years and more so closer to this year, Lucia and I had many conversations. Mostly her memories of her carrier and the experiences that made her happy. I want to share a few items that she loved most.

First, she would always indicate that she loved her job. She loved being with her students because they were young, full of excitement, energy and desire to learn. She enjoyed especially when she took her students to various off campus trips, she could socialize with them in a casual environment that made her feel they were friends.  She loved her job at BU and it brought her happiness and fulfillment.  

I wish you could have seen her excitement in anticipation of her retirement party.    Thanks to the wonderful members at BU, it met her every expectation to see all her coworkers and past students that attended.  She said it could not have been any more wonderful.  One item was that was especially heartwarming for her was when one past student brought her young daughter with her. Lucia loves children and she desperately wanted to give the young girl a present. She remembered that she had a stuffed teddy bear in her old office. She went and found it and gave it to the child. Her feeling of making the child happy was overwhelming to her.   

Her love of children extended to her home. A young family with two daughters lived downstairs.  The Mother and Father were so nice that they knew Lucia had a hard time going up the stairs to her second-floor unit. Every package addressed to Lucia, they would bring it up stairs and place it by her door. She loved their 2 children and never missed a Holiday bringing them gifts and candy. 

Also, Lucia had a very close relationship with a young couple.  They had a baby boy.  Lucia would be so excited when they brought the baby to visit.  All she could talk about is how cute he is and how smart he is. You could see in her eyes the happiness he brought her.  One week before her passing, the boy was close to his 3-year birthday so Lucia selected a gift with his mother that he would like. She asked me to help her order the gift because the brick-and-mortar location had closed.  I helped her order it for him and she was so happy the gift arrived before his birthday.  This happened 2 days before her passing.  Her last wish was granted on the day of her passing; the gift was handed to his mother to deliver it to the child.

I hope in some way she knows the boy received the heartfelt gift she wanted him to have.  

I just had to share this side of Lucia that I had the opportunity to see during out visits. 

I will always think of her and remember our friendship.          

Tributes to Lucia Vaina from Her Students and Postdocs

For Her Retirement Celebration – June 17, 2025

(Note: Lucia was deeply moved and could not hold back her tears while reading these letters. Her students and postdocs were like family to her.)

From Martin Kopcik: Arriving from a small town in Slovakia in August 1999, I had the extraordinary opportunity to join Professor Lucia Vaina’s Brain and Vision Lab at Boston University — an experience that became a true launching point for my technical career. As a research associate, I worked on developing psychophysical computer tests for stroke rehabilitation and participated in fMRI studies exploring the complexities of human visual processing. Lucia gave us remarkable latitude and trust in solving problems independently, fostering both innovation and confidence. The hands-on experience I gained running fMRI data collection on a 1.5T scanner later proved foundational when later in career I went on to deliver what may be a one-of-a-kind motion capture system operating inside the bore of a 3T scanner. Beyond the science, Lucia cultivated a lab culture full of curiosity, warmth, and community. I still remember the boat trip she organized to celebrate my wedding, and the many dinners she hosted at her home for lab members and colleagues — generous moments that spoke volumes about who she is. I also cherish the memory of our summer 2000 Lab outing to Stromboli Island, Italy — a perfect example of how she brought people together. Her mentorship, trust, and kindness left a lasting imprint on me, and I am deeply grateful to have been part of her remarkable journey.

From Elif Sikoglu: As you step into retirement, I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude for the guidance and inspiration you have provided throughout my graduate school years. Your tireless work and dedication, have set an example for all of us who have had the privilege of learning from you.

From psychophysical experiments to MR scans, from different analysis methodologies to interpreting brain imaging, you cultivated an environment where curiosity and perseverance thrived. Through long evenings and weekends in the lab, through conferences in Italy and Florida, and through the warmth of holiday gatherings at your home, you built not only a space for rigorous scientific inquiry but also a community rooted in mentorship and collaboration.

Your unwavering commitment to research and the pursuit of knowledge has thought me the essential foundations of becoming a scientist. I am carrying forward the lessons learned under your mentorship in different directions, always striving to uphold the values you’ve instilled.

While academia will surely miss you, I hope retirement brings you the joy, relaxation, and fulfillment you truly deserve. Wishing you all the best in this new chapter!

From Paola Favaretto: Lucia’s upcoming retirement marks the end of a remarkable chapter in the BME department of Boston University and in the lives of those lucky enough to have worked with her.

I first met Lucia in 2000, when I arrived from Italy as an exchange student to the USA. Later that year, I joined her lab as a research assistant, and what began as a professional relationship quickly blossomed into a meaningful and lasting friendship. We bonded over our shared Italian roots and that connection became the foundation for something truly special. Being far from home, I found in Lucia not only a mentor but also a friend. She stood by me through both joyful and difficult times, offering guidance during my most formative years as a student, researcher, and young adult.

Lucia cultivated a culture of excellence in her lab. She was often one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. She held high expectations, was not afraid to ask for more, and led by example. Yet, she also gave back deeply, fostering a warm, supportive environment where everyone felt part of something greater. Her charisma and grace were especially evident in her work with patients during her years of research on stroke recovery. She treated everyone with respect and kindness, bringing heart to her science.

Life in her lab was defined by hard work, intellectual rigor, and a deep sense of community. Lucia believed that excellence in research thrived in an environment where people felt both challenged and supported. Her lab was a vibrant melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, and ideas, where PhD students, postdocs, and collaborators brought their unique perspectives to the table. It was always hard work—no shortcuts—but it was also deeply rewarding. Lucia organized unforgettable gatherings at her house, outings, and even international trips, reinforcing the sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. She hosted symposia that brought together esteemed colleagues from around the world to engage in rich discussions about brain and vision research. As a student, being in her lab was nothing short of inspiring: a place where creativity, discipline, and collaboration converged under the leadership of someone who truly loved science and the people behind it.

On a personal note, I cannot thank Lucia enough for seeing through me, often more clearly than I could see myself, especially during a time of discovery and change in my career. Lucia recognized in me a budding passion for bioinformatics and, with characteristic courage and selflessness, encouraged me to pause and reflect before committing to a path in neuroscience research. She gently challenged me to be honest with myself, prioritizing my growth and well-being over her own interests. That kind of mentorship—wise, generous, and profoundly human—is rare and unforgettable. Lucia's impact has shaped the trajectory of my life, and I will always be grateful to call her one of my dearest friends.

Today, we recognize that Lucia's presence, leadership, and care will be deeply missed, but her impact will remain with us always. Her legacy lives on in the work she inspired, the lives she touched, and the spirit of excellence, curiosity, and compassion she brought to everything she did, and to everyone lucky enough to work beside her.

From Scott Beardsley: I look back on my time in the BRAVI (Brain and Vision Research Laboratory) with Lucia with great fondness. As a graduate student, I was fortunate to be part of a truly vibrant and supportive community—one that Lucia thoughtfully cultivated. The lab was a dynamic mix of postdocs, fellow grad students, and undergrads, all working on an wide variety of research projects. That diversity made the lab an exciting and collaborative place to grow as a scientist.

Lucia was an extraordinary mentor. She supported my development in ways that extended far beyond the lab—encouraging me to sit in on courses at MIT, introducing me to leaders in the field at the NIH, and even opening doors overseas, where I had the chance to lead a mini-symposia in Bologna, Italy. Lucia constantly found ways to challenge and elevate me, and I’m a better researcher and professional because of it.

But what stands out just as much as the academic support was the sense of community that Lucia created. Whether it was hosting holiday gatherings for lab members and their families or organizing an unforgettable lab trip to Stromboli, Italy, she always made sure we felt like more than colleagues—we were part of something larger.

I’m deeply grateful for the time I spent in Lucia’s lab and for all the opportunities and memories that came with it. Lucia, I wish you all the very best in your retirement—you’ve truly earned it.

From Sanjida Chowdhury: One of my fondest memories from our time in the lab is how seamlessly we blended deep scientific inquiry with spontaneous joy. Whether we were diving into complex questions about vision and computation or heading off on unforgettable trips—like to Stromboli—there was always a sense of curiosity, camaraderie, and laughter.

I especially remember our lab parties—always filled with incredible food (your amazing cooking) and contributions that reflected the many cultures in our group. They weren’t just celebrations; they were moments of genuine connection, where you showed such care and interest in our growth, both inside and outside the lab.

And of course, our trip to Stromboli stands out vividly: hiking up a live volcano together, feeling the heat and thrill of the earth beneath us, and then unwinding each day in the piazza, sharing stories and gelato. It was the perfect blend of adventure, reflection, and community—just like our time in the lab.

My education within your lab - the research, teamwork, camaraderie and development all contributed to my subsequent corporate career which started in consulting at Accenture, Deloitte and KPMG, specializing in Forensic Investigations and has brought me to Fresenius Kabi for the last 16 years.

From Melissa Huang: I first met Professor Lucia Vaina in 2017, as a curious a high school student at Boston University Academy looking to learn and gain experience in visual neuroscience research. I was fortunate enough to join Professor Vaina’s lab, and benefit from her passion and generosity as a teacher, supervisor, and friend. It was the hours spent in her office, listening to stories of stroke patients with unusual and compelling visual and cognitive deficits, that helped inspire me to dedicate my future career to understanding the twists and turns of the human brain. Professor Vaina taught me the value of endless tenacity, which she demonstrated in her commitment to her patients, her students, and to all those around her. She has become a lifelong mentor and friend and has been tirelessly generous with her time and support of my life and my career. Since I finished high school in 2018, she has seen through each step of my education, which brought me to completing a BSc in Physiology at McGill University, an MSc in Neuroscience at University College London, and most recently a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, a place which she speaks so fondly of from her time living in England, and which I now call home. As she retires, her legacy will be not only in the lives she transformed with her work in stroke recovery for patients with visual-spatial deficits, but in the generations of students who are inspired by her enthusiasm, love, and commitment to her research and teaching.

From Andrew Bolton: Human Brain Mapping was basically the class that set me on the path of my career. At the time, I was an Aerospace Engineering major, but you brought the material to life in such an inspiring way that I became totally hooked on the idea of understanding how the brain perceives and understands the world. My strongest memories were of a video clip of a live surgery where the surgeons were touching different parts of the brain with an electrode to map the different cortical regions. The surgeons had the subject count down from 10, but right in the middle put an electrode on Broca’s Area, which made the patient make incomprehensible noises instead of numbers. Then they took off the electrode and the patient kept counting as if nothing had happened. It was amazing. The way you taught the class motivated me to learn more about your research and switch to Biomedical Engineering. I got my PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and eventually went on to study visual perception in animals and now in autonomous machine vision systems. I’m sure Aerospace Engineering would’ve been fun, but I’m very happy with how everything ended up and it wouldn’t have gone this way without your course.

Anyway, I have moved on from MIT and made a startup research company with my old MIT colleagues, working on building perception models. I would love to stop by and get a coffee sometime — I’m still working out of Hayden Library very often! 

Lucia Vaina Tributes From Her Colleagues at Boston University

From John White, Chair of BU BME: Lucia was one of the early research-active hires of the department in the 1980s. Her work, combining computational modeling with measurements made in human subjects, focused on the brain’s mechanisms of learning and processing of the visual world. She was well ahead of her time, and her stature in the neuroscience community was critically important to our transition to a research powerhouse.

Lucia ‘s health had been worsening for the last 2-3 years. I worked closely with her as she planned her retirement, which took effect only 24 short days ago. I know how much it meant to her that the faculty voted unanimously to grant her emerita status, and that so many of you attended her retirement party in late June.

Lucia’s impact on the department we love was incalculable. I will miss her, and I am saddened that we did not have more time to learn from her.

Charles DeLisi, Dean Emeritus of Engineering: Lucia broke the glass ceiling—she was the first female faculty member to be tenured in the College. At the time, Andy Jackson chaired the Department and passed the BME decision on to me. I had the privilege of reinforcing the recommendation, which passed the UAPT with a unanimous vote.

Lucia moved in vibrant intellectual circles. She took acting lessons from Marcello Mastroianni, mentored Umberto Eco in logic, had an uncle who was one of Romania’s most distinguished pianists, and was married to David Marr, the internationally renowned MIT neuroscientist who died tragically at the age of 35, shortly after their wedding.

Her Computing Brain series enriched the intellectual atmosphere of the College—and indeed the University—drawing speakers like Danny Hillis, Terry Sejnowski, and Marvin Minsky, announced over Ramón y Cajal’s exquisite neuron sketches. Then there were the visits by Umberto Eco. The first occurred the year before he gave the Norton Lectures at Harvard, and what seemed like half of Harvard’s English Department unexpectedly filled my living room—a delightful glimpse into the vibrancy of BosBridge. Tom Kuhn, newly arrived from Princeton to MIT and one of my undergraduate heroes, also made an appearance. Eco’s second visit was no less remarkable—he and Marv Minsky packed Tsai Auditorium.

Among Lucia’s many talents were her culinary gifts. I enjoyed some of the best Italian cooking since my childhood with my grandmother. I recall many evenings with Lucia, Cantor, Frank-Kamenetsky, Nancy Tsiung (a VC friend), and others, gathered over food and wine, musing on Lucia’s ideas and how they might be translated into technologies to help the visually impaired.

We were fortunate to have her among us. She led a life to be celebrated.

From Steve Colburn, Professor Emeritus of BME: I am also sadly impacted by our loss of Lucia Vaina. I appreciate and agree with Charles DeLisi's comments about Lucia's life and significant impact on the BME Department, and I will add only a few comments about my interactions with Lucia. When Lucia first came to BU-BME, I was Department Chair and Lucia and I both had active research projects continuing at MIT while we developed our laboratories at BU. I enjoyed our interactions and our overlapping research interests. She was very important in the development of research in our department. I am sorry that Lucia has left us; she gave us so much.

From Elise Morgan, Dean of Engineering: As Ken, Charles, and Steve have noted, and as scores of folks over the years have experienced, Lucia was a delightful intellectual force. I’m so glad that BME was able to hold a retirement celebration for her. The comments from her former students that John read at that celebration were a wonderful tribute and showed her deep investment in training the next generation. We are lucky to have had the time she gave us. I wish that she had had more time to give to herself in retirement.

From Ken Lutchen, former Chair of BME, Dean Emeritus of Engineering, and former interim Provost: Lucia and I were two of the original BME faculty at BU. I was faculty #7, and I think and she #9. She loved being a vision researcher, and her research program was substantial, even in those early days before we had a PhD program. Over the years, our worlds went in different directions and I saw her less and less. But at her retirement party a month ago the two of us sat and just relived those early days. It’s sad that she could not enjoy more of her emerita years.

Lucia was a wonderful neuroscientist, with a an original quantitative approach to cognitive problems, because she was both a neurologist and a biomedical engineer.

She was a member of the International Neuropsychology Symposium, and we shared many delightful dinners through the years.

She had a sparkling personality.

My wife and I often visited her in Cambridge. She had an Italian’s love and knowledge of opera.

My wife and I will miss her.

Best

I first met Lucia shortly after arriving in Boston in 2011. We were both deeply interested in studying the human brain through magnetoencephalography, but Lucia quickly became far more than a distinguished colleague;  she became a dear and trusted friend.

She offered me unwavering support during some of the most difficult times in my life, always ready to listen, to share her wisdom, and to encourage me forward. Her friendship was a gift I will always treasure.

Lucia also had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. I fondly remember the wonderful gatherings she hosted at her home, where friends enjoyed her delicious cooking, warm hospitality, and evenings filled with live music around her beautiful piano.

Her career was as inspiring as her character. As a Professor at Boston University, she made important contributions to the understanding of human vision and brain function, mentoring countless students and colleagues along the way. Most recently, I had the privilege of attending her retirement ceremony at the BU Biomedical Engineering Department, where her colleagues spoke movingly about her long, impactful, and truly distinguished career.

I cherish the many moments we shared;  her warmth, her kindness, and her invaluable advice over the years. Lucia touched my life in countless ways, and I will carry her memory with deep gratitude and affection. Rest in peace, Lucia. I truly miss you.

We met Lucia in 2019 through a research collaboration, and she quickly became more than a colleague — she became a true friend, a part of our family. Her guidance and support shaped our research journey, but it was the friendship that grew from there that we cherish most. From her delicious dinners to holiday celebrations, quiet walks, and countless heartfelt conversations, Lucia filled our lives with warmth. We hope we were there for her as she was for us.

Lucia’s stories, her delightful cooking, her sharp humor, and her fierce loyalty to those she loved will stay with us forever.