Alessandra Carmichael-Martins

Alessandra Carmichael-Martins, originally from Cádiz, Spain, is currently a post-doctoral fellow in Burns lab at the Indiana University School of Optometry, USA. Alessandra has a background in Physics from the University of Sevilla, Spain, having spent a year in the University of Münster, Germany, and another year at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. What got Alessandra interested in research, was her time as an intern at the Microelectronics Institute of Sevilla, working in the optoelectronics department. This led her to complete her M.Sc. in Optics and Photonics at Imperial College London, UK, in 2016, with a keen interest in optical systems and optical design. Wanting to apply her knowledge to the understanding and improvement of human health, and specifically to the human eye, Alessandra carried out her Ph.D. in Physics at University College Dublin, working with Dr. Brian Vohnsen as part of a European Innovative Training Network entitled “Myopia: Fundamental Understanding Needed”. Her thesis concentrated on the characterization of the Stiles-Crawford Effect by understanding how retinal photoreceptors interact with light to optimize visual sensitivity and how this is affected by myopia, as well as designing a novel crosstalk-free wavefront sensing device using a Digital Micromirror Device to measure high ocular aberrations. She has also enjoyed different visiting researcher stays, leading to new scientific advancements and international collaborative projects.

Since joining Dr. Burns lab, Alessandra has interlaced her background in optical physics and vision science with the clinical world of optometry and ocular related disease research. Her research focuses on in vivo ocular imaging in humans to further study the structural changes of the iridocorneal angle for glaucoma studies, as well as the effects of blood flow in diabetic retinopathy. For this, she is building a newly designed adaptive optics system with several imaging modalities, including scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, line-scan imaging, and optical coherence tomography. Additionally, she has recently been awarded the Indiana CTSI TL1 Fellowship and the BrightFocus National Glaucoma Research award.

Besides Alessandra’s research focus, she is and has been actively involved in outreach events for many years in different countries throughout her career. She was president of the OPTICA Student Chapter at University College Dublin and a lead organizer of the IONS Ireland 2021 conference. Alessandra also has a passion for STEM education to inspire the new generations of scientists, and has both participated in local educational programs, as well as taught at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is very excited to work on new inspiring projects, both focused on outreach and in her own research!