Mahnaz Shahidi

Mahnaz Shahidi is Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering and Vice Chair for Translational Research at the University of Southern California, holding the Ralph and Angelyn Riffenburgh Professorship in Glaucoma Research. She chairs the Faculty Appointments and Promotion Tenure Committee Panel A.

Her research develops optical imaging technologies to study ocular and systemic diseases, with ongoing projects including:

• Retinal oxygen delivery/metabolism in disease models
• Microvascular hemodynamics characterization
• Image-based biomarkers for diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal neurovascular coupling in glaucoma and sickle cell retinopathy

She has received significant recognition including:

• UIC Faculty of the Year (2014)
• UIC Inventor of the Year (2012)
• Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Scientific Investigator Award (2009)

Her recent publications focus on retinal oxygenation quantification, vascular physiology biomarkers, and metabolic imaging innovations, with applications to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and Alzheimer's disease models.