Assistant Professor (Adjunkt) - Investigating Transient Physiological Biomarkers of Progressive Myopia

Assistant Professor (Adjunkt) - Investigating Transient Physiological Biomarkers of Progressive Myopia

NCU - Nicolaus Copernicus University

Toruń, Poland

Description (field, expectations, comments):

The competition is open to persons who meet the conditions set out in Article 113 of the Act of 20 July 2018 - Law on higher education and science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1668) and the following qualification criteria:

• PhD degree in physics, biophysics, engineering or other related field (no more than 12 years after obtaining the degree);
• at least 10-month continuous and documented post-doctoral fellowship outside Poland (if PhD degree was obtained from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń);
• a track record in achievements in research (publications, conference presentations etc.);
• research experience at least in one of the following fields: optics, optical engineering, biomedical imaging, interferometry, optical microscopy, optical coherence tomography, automation/robotics;
• skills in signal processing (highly advantageous);
• motivation to conduct research and to turn challenges to opportunities;
• independence in doing research and strong interest in the topic (optics, applications of new technologies in ophthalmology etc.);
• developed written and verbal communication skills (English required, Polish not required);
• willingness to work in a dynamic research team.

This Research position will be a key appointment for the project entitled Investigating transient physiological biomarkers of progressive myopia using tailored and multi-eccentric optical stimulation financed by the National Science Center, Poland, within the OPUS-LAP Programme. The main goal of this project is to understand how different image properties projected onto the retina affect the eye physiology and lead to morphological changes that can cause myopia progression. In particular, we would like to investigate: (1) how the properties of optical stimulation (like sharpness and tolerance to defocus) affect the eye’s response, (2) how high-speed imaging can track and characterize choroidal response over time, and (3) how this knowledge can help create better, personalized control for myopia. The entire project implements a trans-disciplinary approach to the conducted studies, which integrate clinical ophthalmology and vision science with physical optics and optical engineering. The results will help us identify characteristic features of the optical stimulus that are associated with myopia progression. The findings could influence both clinical practices and the development of novel strategies for treating myopia progression, especially in children.