Second postdoc – Optics in POB

In October 2018, I joined the Physics Optics and Biophotonics group (POB), led by prof dr Maciej Wojtkowski, at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw (Poland), to work as a postdoc researcher for the IMCUSTOMEYE project, funded by the European commission under the Horizon 2020 programme.  

The objective of IMCUSTOMEYE project is to develop a novel, non-invasive, imaging-based diagnostic tool creating a change in the paradigm for diagnosis and treatment of vision-threatening conditions. The final output will be a commercial clinical  device able to assist ophthalmologist in the process of decision making to plan treatments and ocular surgeries. To succeed in this challenging task the project counts with the support of commercial partners specialized in consulting services for translational research projects in ophthalmology.

My personal role in the project is to participate in the development of a new imaging technique based on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) with a microscale resolution of ocular deformations to access eye biomechanical properties through non-invasive imaging under mechanical stimulation of the sample. My job is both technical and clinical. In particular, I am in charge of building the first optical prototype, test it with phantoms, ensure its safety for human eye measurements and also do the necessary signal and data processing and analysis. Besides working in the optical lab, I am also responsible for the clinical side of the project. I use my previous experience in coordinating clinical studies to design measuring protocols to acquire measurements with the prototype of the developed imaging system, on ex vivo porcine eyes and in vivo human eyes. After data collection, I will be responsible for statistical analysis and dissemination. Prof Maciej Wojtkowski, Dr Karol Karnowski and Dr Jedrzej Solarski accompany me with their support and expertise to succeed in this endeavour. 

This project is quite a challenge to me since I’d never worked as an optical engineer before, but I embrace it with enthusiasm since I believe it is a fantastic opportunity to learn a lot of new skills. 

Artistic picture from some of the members of the POB team (I'm the fifth from the left). This pic was taken during a the video shooting session to promote the POB group.

Visit from IMCUSTOMEYE partners to our lab. In the foreground of the picture my colleagues in POB, Anna Pawlus and Jedrzej Solarski.