Professor David Crewther, a renowned Australian Scholar, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor at He University

Date: September 24, 2024
He University’s WeChat Official Account：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6aitspxn-1s4OcozWC89BQ

    To better strengthen academic communication and exchange between China and foreign countries, promote the development of the optometry discipline and deepen the integration of industry, education, and research, and thus improve the quality of talents cultivation, Professor David Crewther, director of the Brain Science Institute at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and an internationally renowned optometry expert, was invited to visit He University on September 18 and appointed as a visiting professor of our university.

Endorsing the Optometry Major - “A Strong Academic Atmosphere”

    Professor David Crewther visited the Eye GeneBank - national leading genetic resource bank for eye diseases and related chronic diseases, and the training center of the School of Vision Science, which is one of the first modern industrial colleges in Liaoning Province.

    After knowing that the optometry major of our university is the largest and earliest established of northeast China and has been recognized as a national first - class undergraduate program, he gave a great compliment to our university for our strengths in eye health disciplines and our focus on visual science as a unique feature, as well as building a new type of university that integrates research, application, and entrepreneurship, saying “A strong academic atmosphere.” He also highly appraised the advanced experimental and practical facilities of He University.

    After the visit, Professor David Crewther held a discussion session with the teachers from the School of Visual Sciences. The refreshing research contents, cutting-edge academic perspectives, rigorous academic integrity, and surpassing achievements presented left the teachers deeply impressed. Finally, Professor David Crewther humorously addressed all kinds of confusions and questions raised by everyone, earning rounds of applause.

Appointment as a Visiting Professor - Boosting International Academic Exchanges

    During the visit, He University officially appointed Professor David Crewther as a visiting professor. This appointment not only represents a high recognition of Professor David Crewther’s academic achievements but also demonstrates He University’s emphasis on international academic exchanges. Meanwhile, it will further enhance He University’s scientific research strength and influence. By sharing advanced science and technology, cutting-edge research concepts, and innovative education approaches, the collaboration with Professor David Crewther will significantly contribute to the in-depth integration of industry, education, and research as well as enhance the capacity for scientific research.

    After visiting our university, Professor David Crewther was also invited to participate the International Conference of Genomics on Eye 2024 (The 7th ICG EYE) co - organized by He University. He delivered a keynote speech titled “A Mechanism for the Generation of Refractive Errors Associated with Defocus Sign”.

    Looking to the future, we anticipate that He University and Professor David Crewther, along with his team will spark more academic inspirations in the field of optometry. By leveraging the unique advantages of our university’s ecosystem platform for eye health, we aim to jointly advance the global optometry cause.

Profile of Professor David Crewther

    David Crewther is a professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. After completing his doctoral degree under the guidance of Nobel laureate Murray Gell-Mann, he has conducted academic research at various institutions such as the National Vision Research Institute in Melbourne, the School of Optometry at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and the School of Psychological Sciences at La Trobe University in Melbourne. In 2000, he joined the Brain Science Institute of Swinburne University and served as its director.

    His academic interests include the neural, pharmacological, and genetic mechanisms of refractive control, the neuroscience of normal and abnormal visual development, and the nonlinear electrophysiology of cognitive functional and functional neuroimaging (MEG and fMRI).

    At present, Professor David Crewther has published over 200 papers, primarily focusing on vision, visual development, myopia, single-cell electrophysiology, evoked potential research, dyslexia, amblyopia, learning disabilities, as well as over 300 related conference abstracts.

    He has received over 40 years of continuous funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council, along with other miscellaneous research funds.