EyeProprio

Thank you to the organisers of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society for the invitation to talk at their 2026 Annual Meeting. My title was The Role of Oculoproprioception in the Neural Control of Ocular Alignment: Understanding Disease Mechanisms in Strabismus. You can download a copy of my talk here.

The video from the talk (instructing 4- to 5-year-old children how to do the visual localisation task with an eye press, an assessment of the oculoproprioceptive function) can be played here. With thanks to Dr Kritika Lohia who created this video.

There is an opening for a PhD student in my lab. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration with MRI physicist Dr Jennifer Macfarlane from the University of Dundee/NHS Tayside to investigate the neural substrate of sustained attention.

The full advert with a project description and information about how to apply is on FindAPhD

I will be presenting our work “Disease mechanisms in spatial neglect: displaced locus of attention in response to salient objects” by Balslev, Mitchell, Chandrashekhar, Lambert and Cvoro as a virtual poster at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, in November 2025. This is a collaboration between researchers at the University of St Andrews and acute stroke consultants in NHS Fife and NHS Tayside.

I have uploaded a virtual poster, if you would like to learn more about our research.

With thanks to Kritika, who created the video below.

A (less fun, more informative) project description is here

Wishing Dr Kritika Lohia all the best as she starts her postdoctoral fellowship in my lab. Kritika completed her PhD in Visual Neuroscience at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi with the dissertation “Perceptual and Neural Mechanisms of Static and Dynamic Stereopsis”. She has now joined the research team working on the MRC-funded Strabismus project. I look very much forward to working together and to seeing you continue to grow as a researcher.

…for winning funding from China Scholarship Council to support her PhD studies, and for a great 1. st year research presentation at the Psycholoquia in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience.

The photo shows Pei in front of her poster, together with half of her supervisor (one can still see how proud I am).

We are seeking a highly motivated Post-doctoral Research Fellow to join Dr. Daniela Balslev‘s team on an MRC-funded project: The role of oculoproprioception in the neural control of ocular alignment: Understanding disease mechanisms in strabismus.

This collaborative project involves experts from the Universities of St Andrews (Prof Malinda Carpenter, Developmental Psychology) and Glasgow (Dr Alessio Fracasso, Cognitive Neuroscience/Ultrahigh Field fMRI), as well as from the Children’s Orthoptic Unit NHS Fife (Dr Nikki Hall, Clinical Ophthalmology).

The 36-month position starts May 1, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Project Overview

Strabismus (squint) is a common childhood eye disorder where individuals struggle to align their eyes. This project investigates whether inaccurate proprioceptive input from extraocular muscles contributes to eye misalignment. Using eye tracking, fMRI, and TMS, the research will examine both paediatric and adult populations to uncover the neural basis of ocular alignment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Assess proprioceptive impairments in children with strabismus (eye tracking in 4- to 5-year-olds).

2. Investigate the neural substrate for binocular coordination in adults (ultra-high-field fMRI, TMS).

Qualifications

Applicants should hold (or be nearing completion of) a PhD in cognitive neuroscience or a related field, with expertise in one or more of the following: eye tracking, behavioural research with children, fMRI, or TMS. A strong interest in vision or oculomotor control is essential, and additional training will be provided.

Application details

For further information and to apply please visit https://www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/5685/0/443631/889/research-fellow-ar3087dd

For questions, contact Dr Daniela Balslev at [email protected]

Closing date: January 20, 2025

Interview date: February 5 or 6, 2025 (online), TBC