Nicole Putnam, PhD

Bio

Dr. Nicole M. Putnam is an Associate Professor at the SUNY College of Optometry in the Department of Biological and Vision Sciences. Dr. Putnam leads the MOSAIC Lab (Mapping Ocular Structure and Activity with Imaging of Cells), where her research integrates advanced retinal imaging and eye tracking to understand the relationship between ocular structure and visual function. Her work focuses on measuring fixational eye movements - small, involuntary motions that occur during steady gaze - and linking these dynamics to high-resolution images of retinal cells. By combining technologies such as adaptive optics and tracking scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, her research aims to identify early biomarkers of visual and neurological disease and to bridge the gap between laboratory-based imaging and clinical care. Dr. Putnam brings over a decade of passionate optometric teaching experience to SUNY Optometry, combining cutting-edge research expertise with innovative pedagogical approaches. She specializes in making complex optical concepts accessible through inquiry-based teaching methods. Dr. Putnam is the Instructor of Record for the Integrated Optics I and Integrated Optics II courses in the first year of the professional program. She also contributes to graduate-level instruction in the MS and PhD programs covering topics such as advanced optics and eye movements along with mentoring student research projects. Dr. Putnam received multiple Certificates of Excellence in Teaching (2015-2017) as voted by students at the Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University. Dr. Putnam is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO). She received her BS in Optics from the University of Rochester, her MS in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona, and her PhD in Vision Science from the University of California, Berkeley.