Dr. Park joined UT Southwestern in 2023. He graduated from the University of Western Australia where he received a Ph.D. in anatomy and human biology and a B.Sc. in biochemistry and microbiology. Before joining UT Southwestern, Dr. Park was a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. From 2007 to 2010, he was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurology at Harvard University/Children’s Hospital Boston. 

Since 2008, Dr. Park’s research has been supported by federal and foundation grants, including his current R01 on 3D Visualization and Investigation of Retinal Axon Regeneration. His past research awards include three R01 and three R21 grants, as well as awards from the Department of Defense, the Pew Biomedical Trust (Pew Scholar Award), and the Karl Kirchgessner Foundation, among others. Dr. Park has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and a book chapter “Regeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cell Axons” in The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference (2020). He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics and ARVO.

Dr. Park’s research focuses on the visual system and how the projection neurons in the retina, the retinal ganglion cell axons, find their targets and form synapses in the brain. His lab on North Campus will continue investigating two areas: 1) cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the death of neurons and lack of regeneration in the central nervous system after injury and in degenerative diseases like glaucoma and 2) mechanisms by which neurons form proper connections with each other.