Description

The Gokoffski Lab at the University of California, Irvine, funded by the NIH and ARPA-H, is recruiting a postdoctoral vision scientist with expertise in electrophysiology of the retina and brain and in animal visual behavior. The scholar will help carry the lab's electric field stimulation technology from large-animal studies toward FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) submissions.

Our work
We develop electric field (EF) stimulation to restore vision after injury to the optic nerve. Applied fields promote retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and direct RGC axons to regenerate toward their targets in the brain. Three of our programs share one goal, reconnecting the eye to the brain, and a fourth applies the same tools to cortical plasticity:

        Optic nerve regeneration after traumatic injury and in glaucoma.

        RGC transplantation, where EF stimulation promotes donor cell survival, integration into the host retina, and axon growth to central targets.

        Whole eye transplantation, where a donor eye must be functionally reconnected to the recipient's visual system.

        Amblyopia, where asymmetric charge-balanced EF stimulation is used to reverse amblyopia-induced remodeling of the visual cortex, measured with intracranial recordings, VEPs, and visual behavior.

The program has moved from proof of concept in rats to Yucatan swine, where stimulating electrodes are built at human scale with our neural engineering and neurosurgery collaborators. Our central goal now is clinical translation: we are generating the preclinical safety and efficacy data to take an implantable optic nerve stimulation device through FDA IDE submissions.

The position
We are looking for a vision scientist who can measure visual function at each level of the pathway. The scholar will record from the retina and the brain and will build and run visual behavior assays. Because regenerating axons must be myelinated to conduct normally, we also welcome candidates with expertise in myelination and remyelination of the optic nerve.

These functional measures are the efficacy endpoints for our regulatory work. The role therefore combines discovery science with study design held to the standard expected in an FDA submission. The scholar will work in rats and Yucatan swine, lead a defined project within this program, and receive support toward an independent career.

What you will do
        Record retinal function (PERG, PhNR, ERG) and visual evoked potentials, and acquire intracranial recordings from the superior colliculus and visual cortex, before and after injury and stimulation.

        Develop and validate visual behavior assays in rodents and swine.

        Perform survival surgeries with the team, including optic nerve injury models, electrode implantation, and EF stimulation.

        Process tissue for histology, immunostaining, and confocal imaging, including assessment of myelination of regenerating axons, to relate function to structure.

        Design preclinical studies with prespecified endpoints, blinding, and complete documentation suitable for FDA submissions.

        Publish, present at national meetings, contribute to grant applications and regulatory documents, and mentor graduate students and technicians.

Requirements

Qualifications
Required

        PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in neuroscience, vision science, physiology, biomedical engineering, or a related field, conferred by the start date.

        Hands-on expertise in in vivo electrophysiology of the visual system, at the level of the retina, the brain, or both.

        Experience designing, running, and analyzing animal behavior experiments, preferably visual behavior.

        First-author publications in a relevant area.

        Ability to work closely with scientists, engineers, and surgeons.

Preferred

        Experience recording from both the retina and central visual targets, including intracranial recordings.

        Experience with optic nerve injury models or RGC biology.

        Experience with swine or other large-animal models.

        Experience with medical device development or preclinical studies intended for FDA submission.

        Interest in independent fellowship funding (for example NIH F32 or K99/R00).

        Expertise in myelination, oligodendrocyte biology, or demyelination and remyelination models.