Rowan Candy

Professor Rowan Candy serves as Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at Indiana University School of Optometry, with adjunct appointments in Psychological and Brain Sciences and membership in IU's Neuroscience and Cognitive Science programs. Appointed interim dean in July 2023, she leads academic affairs while maintaining an active NIH-funded research program.

• Ph.D. in Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley (1997)
• Membership of the British College of Optometrists (1990)
• B.Sc. in Optometry, University of Wales, Cardiff (1989)

Dr. Candy's research focuses on visual development mechanisms, particularly how infants and children coordinate vision through ocular motor responses to prevent conditions like amblyopia and strabismus. Her work integrates optics, neuroscience, and experimental psychology to develop models of natural visual behavior in young children. She mentors graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates in her laboratory, with continuous NIH funding since 2003. Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding hyperopia-related strabismus risks, binocular vision in natural environments, and infant visual development mechanisms.

Her scientific contributions have earned her recognition as a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She remains active in the Vision Sciences Society and contributes to advancing clinical understanding of pediatric vision disorders through both laboratory research and academic leadership.

Dr. Candy's mentoring extends to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through her NIH-funded laboratory. Her work has significant implications for clinical interventions in pediatric optometry, with research directly informing practices for preventing vision disorders in children. She maintains strong interdisciplinary connections through her adjunct appointments in Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience programs.

Her laboratory focuses on developing technical methods to understand how the developing brain coordinates visual experience through ocular motor responses, with recent work emphasizing natural environmental tasks for infants and young children.