EMAMI LAB

Computational & Precision Ophthalmology

Imaging · Data Science · Precision Medicine

UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science

Personalized, data-driven care for inflammatory and retinal disease.

Our lab develops computational and precision ophthalmology approaches spanning advanced imaging biomarkers, EHR-based machine learning, clinical trial pipeline optimization, and translational clinical research to detect retinal disease earlier, predict outcomes, and personalize treatment.

Research

Imaging Biomarkers for Uveitis

We develop noninvasive imaging approaches to characterize inflammation in uveitis, with the goal of creating more accessible and quantitative biomarkers for clinical care and research.

AI & EHR-Based Prediction

We use machine learning and clinical data to study disease activity, treatment response, and complication risk in uveitis.

Imaging & Multiomics in Neovascular AMD

We integrate longitudinal retinal imaging with molecular data to identify biomarkers of disease activity and treatment response in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Clinical Trial Pipeline Optimization

We study how clinical trial workflows, resource allocation, and operational decision-making can be improved to make ophthalmic clinical research more efficient, scalable, and predictable.

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publication

See PubMed / My Bibliography for the current, complete list of peer-reviewed publications.

View publications on PubMed →

Patents and Intellectual Property

Head-Mounted Device Including Display for Fully-Automated Ophthalmic Imaging
Co-inventor: Iman Soltani Bozchalooi (Granted)

Tactile-Enhanced Display (haptic navigation aid for individuals with visual impairment)
Co-inventors: Iman Soltani Bozchalooi, Jonathon S. Schofield, Mehran Madani, Shuhao Wan (Pending) · U.S. Application Pub. No. US 2026/0229098

Non-Invasive AI-Based Retinal Inflammation Detection & Severity Estimation Using OCT B-Scans
Co-inventors: Amin Ghafourian-Momenzade, Iman Soltani Bozchalooi (Pending) · UC Case No. 2025-573-0

Funding

National Institutes of Health

PI · NIH/NEI K23 (2026–2031) — Personalized prediction of response to treatment and outcomes in patients with non-infectious uveitis
Project No. 1K23EY037862-01A1

PI · NIH/NEI R34 (2026–2028) — Noninvasive, trial-ready multimodal imaging endpoints for uveitis
Project No. 1R34EY039557-01

Foundations

PI · Alcon Research Institute Early Investigator Grant (2026–2029)

PI · Retina Society Grant (2025–2027) — AI-assisted detection of retinal vascular leakage & vasculitis

PI · Knight Templar Eye Foundation Career Starter Grant, Renewal (2025–2026) — pediatric uveitis imaging biomarkers

PI · Knight Templar Eye Foundation Career Starter Grant (2023–2024) — pediatric uveitis imaging biomarkers

PI · Doris Duke Charitable Foundation & Burroughs Wellcome Fund Grant (2022–2023) — ML in uveitis diagnosis & follow-up

Industry-Sponsored Research

PI · BRITE-AMD: Biomarkers of Response to Treatment in Patients with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (2025–2027) — Research Grant from Regeneron

Institutional & Collaborative Support

PI · UC Davis Department of Computer Science Collaboration Initiation Grant (2025–2027) — gut-retina axis in retinal disease

PI · CITRIS Core Seed Funding (2022–2024) — automated retinal imaging

Co-I · CITRIS Core Seed Funding (2022–2024) — low-vision aid device

PI · UC Davis Academic Federation Innovative Development Award (2021–2023) — automated ocular imaging

PI · Burns Audacious Grants Award (2021–2022) — automated ocular imaging

Co-I · CTSC Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies (2020–2021) — ML in retinal imaging

Support the Lab

Philanthropic support allows us to pursue promising early-stage ideas, generate preliminary data, and develop new approaches in imaging, data science, and precision ophthalmology before they are ready for traditional research funding.

To learn more about supporting research at the UC Davis Eye Center, please contact:

Sheena Summers

Senior Director of Development, UC Davis Eye Center

smlennie@health.ucdavis.edu

Team

Parisa Emami, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology · Director, Uveitis Division, UC Davis

Dr. Parisa Emami is a vitreoretinal surgeon, uveitis specialist, and physician-scientist at UC Davis. She directs the Computational and Precision Ophthalmology Lab, where her team develops approaches to improve the diagnosis, prediction, and treatment of retinal and inflammatory eye disease. Her research integrates advanced retinal imaging, artificial intelligence, clinical data science, and translational clinical research, and the lab’s work spans imaging biomarkers, EHR-based prediction, multimodal data integration, and methods to improve the efficiency and precision of clinical research. At UC Davis, she directs the Uveitis Division and leads a multidisciplinary clinical and research program focused on translating computational and biologic insights into practical tools for more individualized ophthalmic care.

Lab Members

Current Trainees

Kelvin Chong

Medical Student

Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine

Shashank Mahesh, MSc

Graduate Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

UC Davis

Alumni

Fateme Montazeri, MD, MPH

Currently: Internal Medicine Resident

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Mohammad Mehdi Johari Moghadam, MD

Currently: Internal Medicine Resident

Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center

Amin Ghafourian, PhD

Currently: ML Software Engineer

Google

News

Lab News & Updates

New Grant

NIH/NEI R34 Awarded

The Emami Lab received a $483,000 NIH/NEI R34 award to develop and validate noninvasive multimodal imaging biomarkers for uveitis.

Now Hiring

We have an immediate Postdoctoral Scholar opening jointly with the LARA Lab at UC Davis.

We are seeking candidates with a PhD in Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Medical Imaging, or a related field, with experience in machine learning, computer vision, medical imaging, or healthcare AI.

The position will focus on interdisciplinary work at the intersection of AI, ophthalmic imaging, and clinical data science.

If interested, please send your CV and a brief description of your research background to contact@emami-lab.com.

Join the lab

We periodically welcome postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, medical students, and research staff interested in imaging, machine learning, or clinical trial design in ophthalmology.

Get in touch

Contact

Get in Touch

For research collaborations, trainee opportunities, or other academic inquiries, please contact the Emami Lab at UC Davis.

Email

contact@emami-lab.com

Interested in supporting our research? Visit the Funding page.