Dr. Danuta M. Sampson

Sampson is an internationally trained physicist and scientist at the Lions Eye Institute. She also holds honorary appointments at the University of Western Australia, University College London and the University of Surrey, UK. Sampson is dedicated to advancing global eye health by developing methods, in collaboration with national and international partners, for the standardised collection, analysis, and reporting of ocular image data. Her work on unified protocols and interoperable tools ensures reproducibility and scalability across institutions and devices, enabling the analysis of large, diverse datasets to uncover new patterns of retinal disease and improve clinical care. A recent achievement is OCTAVA, a retinal microvascular analysis tool (downloaded 1,600+ times). Beyond research, Sampson’s passions are science communication and developing a more inclusive society. She has designed and delivered 30+ STEM outreach programs and published two children’s STEM books to communicate the importance of optics and vision science. She is involved in the global optics and photonics community through engagement with SPIE and Optica. She supports various committees and designs STEM educational games/materials. Her leadership in optics and vision science has earned her several prestigious international awards, including the Optica Ambassador Award (2017), presented annually to 10 individuals for their extraordinary contributions to the field; the Optica Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Recognition (2022); and the SPIE Diversity Award (2023). In 2024, she was awarded the Western Australia Young Tall Poppy Award for excellence in science research and communication. In 2025, she was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Optical Society Mid-Career Prize for excellence in academic achievements, leadership and service to the community.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4737-6606