Research Overview

Department of Ophthalmology clinical and laboratory scientists contribute to the growing body of ophthalmic knowledge through research and patient-oriented investigation.

Ophthalmology Clinical Research Unit (OCRU)

Basic Science Research Labs

Man with brown hair wearing white lab coat preparing to peer into a piece of ophthalmic lab equipment

Butovitch Lab

PI: Igor A. Butovich, Ph.D.

Man and woman in white lab coats examing data on a computer screen that the woman is pointing at with her gloved left hand.

Harbour Lab

PI: J. William Harbour, M.D.

Two men with dark hair and glasses wearing white lab coats looking at what a woman with dark hair wearing a white lab coat is writing in her notebook.

Mootha Lab

PI: V. Vinod Mootha, M.D.

Man with black hair and glasses wearing a white lab coat is examining a lens on a piece of large ophthalmic lab equipment.

Park (Kevin) Lab

PI: Kevin (Kyung) Park, Ph.D.

Man with gray hair wearing a white lab coat pointing at data on a computer screen while speaking with two young women in white lab coats.

Petroll Lab

PI: W. Matthew Petroll, Ph.D.

Woman with dark blonde hair wearing purple gloves and a white lab coat transferring liquid into a small vial with a dropper.

Robertson Lab

PI: Danielle M. Robertson, O.D., Ph.D.

Young man with black hair and beard wearing a white lab coat standing to the right of a man in a white lab coat with a bald head and glasses seated at a microscope and looking to his right.

Ufret-Vincenty Lab

PI: Rafael Ufret-Vincenty, M.D.

Three young women in white lab coats looking at a computer screen as the woman in the middle points at data.

Wert Lab

PI: Katherine J. Wert, Ph.D.

Core Facility

Close-up of a blue eye as seen through an ophthalmology tool.

NEI Vision Research Core Facility

The National Eye Institute Vision Research Core Facility at UT Southwestern is comprised of three service modules:

Module 1: Stem Cell, Organoid, and Cell Phenotyping
Module 2: Gene Editing and Virus Production
Module 3: Microscopy and Animal Phenotyping

Visit Core Facility

Resident Research Projects

Medical student research opportunities

Third- and fourth-year Ophthalmology residents are required to complete a research project for presentation at the Annual Resident and Alumni Day conference in June. Every year, medical students are invited to assist residents with research. Check back here in the Spring of 2026 to review residents' projects.