Stanford Vision Research Core

SUMMARY - OVERALL The Stanford vision research community is comprised of an impressive array of faculty bridging all levels of vision research, from molecular to cellular to circuits to systems, from development to adult to disease. The Stanford Vision Research Core grant will bring 4 modules to this community: (1) Advanced Computing/Computational Core, (2) Device Design and Development, (3) Neurogenetics of Vision, and (4) Imaging Structure and Function. These cores will be positioned to amplify the considerable resources Stanford University is devoting to the growth of vision research, including new faculty recruiting in the Department of Ophthalmology and the Stanford Neurosciences Institute and new space allocation to wet- and dry-lab vision research, as well as commitments from the Department of Ophthalmology for additional administrative capacities. Bringing these 4 cores to this community will help us achieve a number of specific outcomes. 1) We will extend the reach of vision research among the NEI-funded investigators at Stanford: by providing core resources and services to investigators, this grant will centralize specialty capacity, allowing faculty to benefit from the ready availability of such expertise. 2) We will accelerate discoveries in these laboratories: the availability of new resources that specifically target areas of need across the vision research community at Stanford will allow research to move more quickly into new, cutting edge areas of innovation. 3) We will promote inter-disciplinary collaboration that bridges molecular through systems level vision research: The selection of these 4 cores also carries a specific intention to bring vision research at Stanford into a “next-generation” position bridging across disciplines. Offering these tools, with cell- and species-compatible vectors, device development, advanced imaging, and the computational power to extract relevant data from these, will facilitate this bridging. Finally, 4) We will attract new faculty at junior through senior levels into vision research: by providing tools specific to vision research, and making these tools available broadly to the Stanford research community, we will facilitate entry into vision research by both seasoned investigators in other fields, and newly recruited junior investigators poised to become the next generation of leaders in vision research.