Research Laboratories
Vision Science Research at JSEI
Advancing our understanding of vision through innovative research
Professor
Corneal Dystrophies and Gene Therapy
Dr. Aldave's research focuses on the development of novel gene- and cell-based therapies for corneal dystrophies, a group of inherited disorders of the cornea. His laboratory combines clinical genetics with advanced molecular techniques to elucidate the genetic basis of the corneal dystrophies, and to identify target for therapeutic intervention.
Assistant Professor
Imaging, AI, and Retinal Genomics
Dr. Au’s research leverages advanced ophthalmic imaging, retinal genomics, and artificial intelligence to improve disease prognostication and identify novel therapeutic targets. His laboratory integrates large-scale imaging and genomic data using AI-driven approaches to advance precision care in retinal disease.
Assistant Professor
Robotic Microsurgery and Retinal Regeneration
Dr. Barzelay-Wollman develops advanced robotic systems for high-precision ophthalmic surgery, with a focus on retinal disease. Her research integrates microsurgical robotics, real-time imaging, and regenerative therapies to enable novel treatments—such as robotic delivery of stem cells, gene therapy, and intraocular drugs—for retinal degeneration and vascular disease.
Professor
Low Vision Rehabilitation
Dr. Bittner's research focuses on improving quality of life and visual ability for individuals with low vision through innovative rehabilitation strategies with visual aids and devices. She designs and leads the conduct of clinical trials involving assistive technologies and patient-centered approaches to advance low vision care.
Professor and Director
Public Health and Clinical Research in Ophthalmology
Dr. Coleman leads clinical research initiatives focused on population health, health policy, and clinical outcomes in ophthalmology. Her work combines epidemiological approaches with clinical research to improve eye care delivery and outcomes, particularly in underserved populations.
Professor
Ocular Motility
The Demer lab studies the neural and structural basis of eye movements, with application to the diagnosis and treatment of strabismus, and the role of eye movements in glaucoma and myopia. His work involves magnetic resonance and optical imaging, tissue biomechanics, and computational simulation.
Professor
Photoreceptor Physiology
Dr. Fain's research focuses on the biophysical mechanisms of photoreceptor function and adaptation. His work has provided fundamental insights into how photoreceptors respond to light and adapt to different lighting conditions, contributing to our understanding of both normal vision and retinal disease.
Associate Professor In-Residence
Retinal Circuits and Vision
Dr. Field's laboratory focuses on understanding how neural circuits in the retina process visual information. His work combines electrophysiology, imaging, and computational approaches to decode the neural basis of vision at the cellular level.
Professor
Ophthalmic Pathology
Dr. Glasgow’s research focuses on the role of lipid and protein components in the molecular mechanisms of tear film formation. His laboratory combines biochemical and biophysical techniques to study dynamic interactions of these constituents in relation to dry eye diseases.
Professor
Glaucoma diagnostics and AI
Dr. Nouri-Mahdavi's research focuses on improving the assessment and management of glaucoma, particularly in understanding disease progression and optimizing diagnostic methodologies including AI approaches. He specializes in detection of disease progression in patients with advanced glaucoma and methods for detecting change over time. His work emphasizes the use of advanced statistical techniques and imaging technologies to enhance glaucoma care.
Assistant Professor In-Residence
Visual System Development and Degeneration
Dr. Peng investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underly the formation and degeneration of the visual system. Her research uses multi-omics and bioinformatics tools to uncover the genetic basis of neural circuit development and degeneration.
Associate Professor In-Residence
Retina Biochemistry and Disease Modeling
Dr. Radu's research investigates retinal degenerative diseases by exploring the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a crucial cell layer supporting photoreceptors. Using advanced genetic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches, including induced pluripotent stem cells and mouse models, the laboratory examines molecular mechanisms driving RPE-photoreceptor dysfunction, with the goal of developing potential therapeutic interventions.
Professor
Phototransduction and Synaptic Transmission
Dr. Sampath’s focuses on understanding how rod and cone photoreceptors, and their retinal circuits, encode visual information. His lab uses advanced electrophysiological techniques to study mechanisms of signal detection and light adaptation. A more recent focus is in how physiological mechanisms compensate for photoreceptor loss during retinal degenerations.
Professor
Chemical Biology of Novel Membrane Receptors
Membrane receptors belong to the most successful therapeutic targets in disease treatment. The Sun lab has developed new techniques to discover novel membrane receptors and to identify their chemical modulators that can be potential drugs in treating major diseases that affect the eye and other organs.
Professor
Photoreceptor Biochemistry
Dr. Gabriel Travis studies the regeneration of opsin visual pigments in rod and cone photoreceptor cells. This enzymatic pathway involves multiple proteins. The genes for several of these proteins are affected in inherited photoreceptor degenerations that cause progressive blindness in humans.
Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Public Health
Dr. Tseng's research examines risk factors and outcomes for eye diseases from a population-based perspective. Areas of interest include individual and structural level factors that influence glaucoma risk, and clinical and surgical quality of glaucoma care.
Associate Professor
Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation
Dr. Tsui specializes in the study and treatment of ocular inflammatory diseases. His research focuses on advanced imaging analysis and biomarker discovery in uveitis. He also leads multiple clinical trials aimed at developing innovative therapies for uveitis and other inflammatory eye conditions.
Associate Professor
Clinical Research in Retinal Disease
Dr. Tsui specializes in clinical research focused on retinal disease and oculomics. Her work combines clinical insights with optical coherence tomography angiography to evaluate systemic conditions, particularly in premature infants and pregnant women.
Professor In-Residence
Retinal Development and Gene Therapy
Dr. Yang studies retinal development and repair using molecular genetic approaches. Her research provides insight on cellular signaling mechanism involved in neuroprotection in retinal degenerative diseases. She also uses human stem cell-derived retinal organoids and neurons to model optic neuropathies and develop therapy.
Professor In-Residence
Therapeutic Development and AI-Powered Analysis in Vision Research
Dr. Zheng’s research combines chemical biology, cell biology, computational biology, systems pharmacology, and drug discovery to develop innovative therapies for ophthalmic diseases. Leveraging their multidisciplinary expertise, his laboratory focuses on translating research into novel treatments for glaucoma, retinal diseases, and corneal disorders. Additionally, they employ AI-driven protein-protein interaction analysis to investigate the mechanisms underlying different inherited retinal diseases.
Associate Professor In-Residence
Computational Neuroscience and Vision
Dr. Zylberberg's research combines theoretical and computational approaches to understand how neural circuits process visual information. His work focuses on developing mathematical models of visual processing and applying machine learning to analyze neural data.
Emeritus Faculty
Professor
Gene activity, lens development and vision
Description of research: Dr. Bhat’s research focuses on understanding the molecular basis of the biological transparency and refractive ability of the lens that allows a pinpoint focus of the incoming light without spherical aberration and scatter. His work entails characterization of gene activities by single cell transcriptomics in mouse paradigms and human lens epithelial samples from cataract surgeries.
Professor
Molecular Biophysics
Dr. Hubbell's research focuses on the development and application of site-directed spin labeling to investigate protein structure and dynamics. His pioneering work has provided crucial insights into the molecular mechanisms of vision and membrane protein function.