Scientific & Medical Advisory Committee
With expertise in retinal anatomy, neurochemistry and clinical research, Professor Kalloniatis is a highly experienced optometrist with a range of academic and research experience who has maintained clinical practice throughout his career.
Upon completion of his optometry degree at the University of Melbourne in 1981, he continued his studies with a Master’s degree evaluating the visual characteristics of low vision children. Professor Kalloniatis then undertook his PhD at the University of Houston, Texas, studying colour vision processing in the monkey visual system. After receiving his doctorate, he remained in the USA, accepting an appointment as a National Institute of Health Research Fellow at the University of Texas. With his interest in retinal neurochemistry and anatomy, he received a post-doctoral award to study retinal circuitry.
In 1991 he returned to Melbourne to take up a lectureship at the University of Melbourne. During this time, he established a neuroanatomical laboratory focusing on animal models of retinal dystrophy and a visual psychophysics laboratory, also training a number of PhD students.
In 2001 Professor Kalloniatis was appointed the Robert G Leitl Chair and Head of the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland. In collaboration with the Department of Ophthalmology, he was also instrumental in setting up the New Zealand National Eye Centre, which opened during 2008. In May 2009 Professor Kalloniatis commenced his role as Director, Centre for Eye Health, an initiative of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) continuing his research in inherited retinal disease and expanding into clinical research. He is currently an Affiliate Professor at Deakin University Medical School, continuing his clinical research activities as well as consulting at the Australian College of Optometry.
