LoneSTAR (Scientific Training and Research) Ophthalmology Residency Research Track
UT Southwestern Ophthalmology’s LoneSTAR program is designed for academically driven residents who aspire to become future leaders in ophthalmology, vision research, innovation, and technology transfer. Residents in the LoneSTAR Program will have the opportunity to choose their research advisor from internationally recognized UT Southwestern faculty across a broad range of disciplines, including Ophthalmology, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Physiology.
Successful candidates in the LoneSTAR Program will spend one dedicated year in research between the PGY1 and PGY2 years of residency. This protected research year will allow LoneSTAR residents to immerse themselves in a focused scholarly project, build meaningful mentor relationships, and develop the foundation for a career in academic medicine and vision research.
Financial support for the additional research year, as well as resources to support research activities during the subsequent clinical training years, will be provided by the department in collaboration with the selected applicant and faculty mentor. Support will be aligned with the proposed research plan, mentorship structure, and anticipated resource needs.
Faculty Mentors
Ophthalmology Faculty
- Igor Butovich, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and [patho]physiology of the eye)
- Laura Campello, Ph.D. (Retinal aging and neurodegeneration, integrative multi-omics, and therapeutic strategies for vision preservation)
- J. William Harbour, M.D. (Ocular oncology)
- Anupam Mondal, Ph.D. (Retinal degeneration, aging, omics, and computational ophthalmology)
- V. Vinod Mootha, M.D. (Cornea (Fuchs Endothelial Disease)
- Kevin K. Park, Ph.D. (Optic nerve degeneration/regeneration [glaucoma])
- W. Matthew Petroll, Ph.D. (Corneal cell and tissue mechanics, wound healing)
- Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D. (Ocular surface disease [infection, dry eye])
- Rafael Ufret-Vincenty, M.D. (Models of retinal degeneration and immune/glial cell activation in AMD)
- Jui-Kai (Ray) Wang, Ph.D. (Ocular image processing, AI, computational ophthalmology)
- Katherine Wert, Ph.D. (Retinal development and disease [AMD, RP], biological sex differences, gene therapy)
Other UT Southwestern Faculty
- Helmut Kramer, Ph.D., Neuroscience (Neuronal stress response pathways)
- Marek Napierala, Ph.D., Neurology (Neurodegenerative diseases)
- Duojia Pan, Ph.D., Physiology (Retinal development, Hippo pathway)
- Muhammad Rizwan, Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering (Corneal tissue engineering, biomaterials)
- Lu Sun, Ph.D., Molecular Biology (Neuron-glial interactions, myelination mechanisms)
- Supraja Varadarajan, Ph.D., Neuroscience (Axon guidance and regeneration [glaucoma])
LoneSTAR Leadership
Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering
Vice Chair, Research
