Alessandra Carmichael-Martins, PhD

Dr. Carmichael-Martins has a background in Physics from the University of Sevilla, Spain, including a year of study in Münster, Germany, and Madrid, Spain. She was first interested in research, after working at the Microelectronics Institute of Sevilla. She completed her M.Sc. in Optics and Photonics at Imperial College London, UK, in 2016, with an interest in optical systems and design. Wanting to focus on human health, and specifically the human eye, she received a Ph.D. in Physics at University College Dublin, Ireland, working with Dr. Brian Vohnsen on myopia in a European Innovative Training Network. During this time, she also enjoyed different research visits which led to international collaborative projects. Since joining Dr. Burns’ Lab as a post-doctoral fellow, she has applied her background to ocular related disease research. Her research focuses on advanced imaging of the living human eye for early detection of ocular diseases. She is using a combination of high-resolution imaging modalities to image the iridocorneal angle for glaucoma studies, and the retinal blood flow in diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Carmichael-Martins has been actively involved in many outreach activities throughout her career, has a passion for STEM education, and has recently been selected as 2022 Optica Ambassador. She is very excited to work on new inspiring projects in optics working towards understanding biological changes in the visual system.