Job Description

A Research Tech II position is available in the Visual Function and Rehabilitation lab of the University of Pittsburgh, Ophthalmology Department. The research will focus on developing methods for visual rehabilitation following treatment of inherited retinal disorders under the supervision of Dr Boris Rosin MD, PhD at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology (Vision Institute). The Visual Function and Rehabilitation Lab deals with the processing of the visual signal in the Central Nervous System (CNS). We explore changes to the visual pathways of the CNS during the development of visual impairment and after treatment. Some of the disease systems are murine models of Inherited Retinal Dystrophies (IRDs), traumatic optic neuropathy and amblyopia. We are specifically interested in preventing visual pathway "rewiring" during the development of visual disability as a means to improve treatment outcome. Techniques include multi-electrode array electrophysiological recordings, behavioral essays, visual acuity and function testing in rodents. Future non-human primate work is planned. The lab has a close collaboration with the molecular biology lab within the Department to specifically examine the CNS changes prior and after application of gene therapy for the treatment of IRDs.

Research at the Vision Institute is a comprehensive effort to address all aspects of visual disability. This includes multiple basic science disciplines such as embryology, molecular biology, material science and others. There is a close collaboration with the clinical side of the Department, with multiple interactions with physicians assuring relevance of the scientific questions posed.

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