Melanie Campbell is currently a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and in the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo. She earned a BSc in Chemical Physics, University of Toronto, an MSc in Physics, University of Waterloo and, from the Australian National University, a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Physiology. Following a CSIRO Fellowship at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics in Canberra, Campbell returned to Canada with an NSERC University Research Fellowship. Prof. Campbell undertakes experimental and theoretical research in the optical quality of the eye and improved imaging of its structures. She studies eye development, eye disease and linear and nonlinear optics of the eye. Campbell is known for her work on the gradient index optics of the crystalline lens, its changes with ageing and effects of visual experience on its refractive index distribution. Recently she has discovered possible optical signals to eye growth which appear to follow a circadian rhythm. She collaborated in the first real-time images of cones at the rear of the eye, using adaptive optics. Applications of interest include non-invasive imaging of the eye for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, using the retina as a window on the brain. Campbell is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) and is a former President of the Canadian Association of Physicists. Campbell was also a co-founder of Biomedical Photometrics Inc, now Huron Technologies. Campbell shared the 2004 Rank Prize in Optoelectronics for her work cited as "an initial idea (that) has been carried through to practical applications that have, or will, demonstrably benefit mankind.” She was awarded the 2014 CAP-INO Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Applied Photonics “for her unique contribution to apply the methods of polarization and adaptive optics to the understanding of eye functioning and eye diseases. Among others, her contributions to a better understanding of short-sightedness and to improve retina imaging are likely to have a major impact on the diagnosis and treatment of several eye diseases.”
