Babak N. Safa

Babak N. Safa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Engineering at the University of South Florida. He directs the Safa Research Lab focused on ocular and soft tissue biomechanics. His research integrates engineering, medicine, and biology to address glaucoma and musculoskeletal disorders using computational modeling, benchtop testing, and clinical research.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellow: Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech/Emory University (2024)
• Ph.D.: Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware (2019)
• B.Sc.: Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology (2014)

Research Areas: Ocular biomechanics, glaucoma pathogenesis, tissue mechanobiology, and therapeutic innovation for vision preservation. His NIH-funded work investigates iris biomechanics in angle-closure glaucoma and optic nerve head remodeling.

Funding:

• NIH Pathway to Independence Grant K99/R00 (2023-2028)
• BrightFocus Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2023)