Laboratory of
Ocular Biomechanics

University of Pittsburgh

POSITIONS

We are always looking for smart and highly motivated people interested in working with us. We can hire as research assistant, graduate student and post-doc positions available. No experience with the eye necessary for all positions.

If interested, send CV or Resume to ian@OcularBiomechanics.com (Dr. Sigal). Please tell us in your email which of the areas experience topics above fits you, or why you are applying. If you have published, please attach some example publication PDFs. If you need funding, we can help you apply. Bear in mind that most funding support is very competitive. Applications for summer fellowships and scholarships are usually due in January or February, so please contact us early.

Postdocs/Graduate students/Research assistants:
We have several projects and positions and are looking for excellent applicants, independent of career stage. Experience in any of the following:

• Robotics

• Optics/Imaging (microscopy, structured light, OCT, ultrasound)

• Image processing (DIC, DVC, segmentation)

• Soft tissue mechanics (experimental or computational)

• Blood flow (experimental or computational)

• Astrocyte, axon or pericyte mechanics. TBI effects on axons.

• Glaucoma and/or myopia

Research assistants:
Experience handling animals and tissues, and with imaging and image processing are important. Experience in a research setting is preferred.

Undergraduate students:
We regularly receive undergraduate students from all over Pitt. Many of them come for Design projects (e.g. MEMS 1043) or Intramural Internships (e.g. BIOENG 1002). We also regularly receive students for summer research. Most of them do research associated with coursework, or are volunteers who want experience in research.

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  Ian A. Sigal, Ph.D. - Associate Professor

  Dr. Sigal received a B.Sc. in Physics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City (1999), a M.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto, Canada (2001), and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Collaborative program in Biomedical Engineering) also from the University of Toronto, Canada (2006). Dr. Sigal has dedicated his scientific career to the study of biomechanics-related diseases of the eye, and to glaucoma in particular. During his PhD he pioneered methods for computational modeling of the eye to understand why some individuals develop glaucoma while others do not. He continued to refine these techniques as a post-doc and then as a research associate at the Devers Eye Institute in Portland Oregon. In October 2010 he joined the University of Pittsburgh and founded the Laboratory of Ocular Biomechanics.
  The laboratory receives support from the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Glaucoma Research Foundation and others. Current projects in the laboratory include the development of novel techniques to characterize connective tissue architecture and biomechanics, and the study of in-vivo effects of intraocular and intracranial pressures.

  
  

  ian@ocularbiomechanics.com

  Google Scholar

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  Bingrui Wang, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. Wang received her B.Sc. in Engineering Mechanics from Southwest Jiaotong University, China (2010), a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University, China (2014 and 2021). She was a visiting student at the University of Pittsburgh (2017-2019). Her research interest includes the biomechanics of soft tissues, especially the constitutive modeling and hyperelastic response of soft biological tissue reinforced by collagen fibers. Her current research is focused on using the digital volume correlation method to characterize the optic nerve head biomechanics from optical coherence tomography.

  
  

  bingrui@ocularbiomechanics.com

  Google Scholar

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  Yuankai Lu, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. Yuankai received a B.Sc. in Physics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (2015), a Ph.D. in applied mathematics also from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (2021). Dr. Lu’s research background is mainly in computational biology and applied mathematics, including tissue oxygenation simulation, hemodynamics, angiogenesis and vessel adaptation modelling, etc. Currently, his research focuses on the hemodynamic and tissue oxygenation simulation in lamina, and related physiological and pathological issues.

  
  

  yuankai@ocularbiomechanics.com

  Google Scholar

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  Miriam Bohlmann Kunz, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. Bohlmann Kunz received her B.A. in Chemistry from Northwestern University (2016), and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2022). Her research background is in ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopies and incorporating these methods with optical and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Dr. Bohlmann Kunz developed a method to measure linear absorption spectra via an AFM that was able to measure differences in absorption with nanoscale resolution. Her current research interests are in various polarized light and nonlinear microscopy methods.

  
  

  miriam@ocularbiomechanics.com

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  Xuehuan (Hellen) He, PhD – Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. He earned her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Chang'an University in 2015, an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2018, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa in 2022. Her research interests center on biomechanics and diseases of fibrous soft tissue. She has utilized microstructurally-motivated constitutive models, computational modeling, and machine learning techniques for assessing the abnormalities of the human thoracic aorta and the rupture risk of aneurysms. Currently, her research focuses on investigating the role of collagen fiber structure on optic nerve head biomechanics and glaucoma.

  
  

  xuehuan@ocularbiomechanics.com

  Personal Webpage
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  Susannah Waxman, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. Waxman received her Bachelor's degree in Botany (2016) from Ohio Wesleyan University. She was a research assistant at Ohio Wesleyan (2014-2016) and a laboratory technician and manager at the University of Pittsburgh (2016-2018). She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh (2024). She has worked on characterizing the physiology and pathophysiology of the eye's conventional outflow tract. Her current research focuses on elucidating the role of perivascular cells in the optic nerve head.

  
  

  susannah@ocularbiomechanics.com

  Google Scholar

  
  

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  Adam Galloy, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow

  Dr. Adam Galloy earned his B.Sc. in engineering at Dordt University (2019), and his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa (2024). His research aims to combine techniques from computational mechanics, imaging, and geometry to develop novel insights into human (patho)physiology. His previous research used soft tissue finite element models and analysis techniques from differential geometry to study sliding motion between lobes of the lungs and its impact on respiratory health. He is currently interested in using computational models and image analysis methods to understand how fiber architecture influences eye function.

  
  

  adam@ocularbiomechanics.com

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  Qi Tian - PhD in Bioengineering

  Mr. Tian received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation (2021) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. His current research focuses on microstructure and mechanics of the sclera.

  
  
  

  qi@ocularbiomechanics.com

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  Yingzhe Han - PhD in Bioengineering

  Ms. Han received her Bachelor's degree in Engineering Mechanics (2021) from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China. She was a visiting student at the University of Pittsburgh (2023-2024). She has experience working on simulations of coronary intervention with varying plaque compositions and classical plate theory. Her current research focuses on fiber modeling through string art methods.
  
  yingzhe@ocularbiomechanics.com

  
  
  

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  Annika Oberdorfer - PhD in Bioengineering

  Ms. Oberdorfer received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (2023) from the University of Florida. Her research background is in gait biomechanics related to osteoarthritis. Her research will focus on astrocyte mechanics related to glaucoma.
  
  annika@ocularbiomechanics.com

  
  
  
  

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  Ashley Linton – Research Assistant

  Ms. Linton received her Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience (2022) from Allegheny College. Her work includes sample preparation, histology processing, and acquiring and analyzing images.

  
  

  ashley@ocularbiomechanics.com

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  Bangquan Liao - Masters in Research

  Mr. Liao received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Iowa (2022) and his Masters degree in Research from the University of Pittsburgh (2024). His work focuses on developing testing techniques for fibrous materials.

  
  

  bangquan@ocularbiomechanics.com

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  Jarin Dengler - Research Assistant

  Mr. Dengler received his Bachelor’s degree in Public Health (2024) from Slippery Rock University. His background in research during his time at SRU involved both chemistry and biology. His work includes sample preparation, histology processing, and acquiring and analyzing images.
  
  jarin@ocularbiomechanics.com

  
  

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  Ruhani Gill

  Ms. Gill is a senior bioengineering student on the biomechanics track at the University of Pittsburgh.

  
  

  RKG27@pitt.edu

  
  

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  Juana Yang

  Ms. Yang is a senior computational biology student at the University of Pittsburgh.

  
  

  JUY40@pitt.edu