Xoana Barcala, PhD
PROJECT MANAGER
Dr. Xoana Barcala Gosende is a highly accomplished researcher and project manager in the field of vision and optics. Indeed, she has a strong academic background in research and clinical development, holding a Ph.D. in Physics with a specialization in optometry.
She has been closely connected to 2EyesVision since the development of her master’s thesis in 2017 at VioBio Lab (CSIC). Precisely, Xoana’s scientific career began with the development of a focimeter during that master’s thesis. This device had practical applications in clinical settings. Meanwhile, she complemented her clinical aplication work as an optometrist at Soloptical. In between, she embarked on a research internship at University College Dublin in the Advanced Optical Imaging Group, under the guidance of Dr. Brian Vohnsen. She then joined 2EyesVision through an industrial doctoral scholarship contract funded by the Community of Madrid, in collaboration with CSIC.
Her most significant achievement to date has been her Ph.D. thesis, which has contributed to the development of three patents, nine papers and has personally presented her work at over 10 international conferences. The impact of her research has been acknowledged through prestigious awards in the fields of basic science, such as the Margarita Salas Award, and applied technology, such as the Best Business Projection Award. During her Ph.D., Xoana actively engaged in activities within the optical community. She held positions at the Student Chapter IOPTICA (formerly IOSA), supported by OPTICA (formerly known as OSA). Certainly, she contributed as a coauthor to an outreach book funded by the SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics).
In addition to her professional achievements, Xoana is committed to raising awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations, early detection of eye diseases, and the use of SimVis Gekko technology for presbyopia patients before surgery. In summary, her academic achievements and expertise bring a valuable perspective to the company.
Education
Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Physical Science program at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). 2018-2021. PhD Thesis: “Binocular Simultaneous Vision Simulator: validation and implementation of the Sim+Vis technology in the clinic“. Supervised by: Prof. Susana Marcos and Dr. Carlos Dorronsoro.
Interuniversity Master’s Degree in Vision Science Research at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). 2016-2017. Master’s Thesis: “Development of a high-speed focimeter for the characterization of the dynamic response of tunable lenses” Supervised by: Dr. Carlos Dorronsoro and Dr. Enrique Gambra.
Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Optics and Optometry at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). 2012-2016.
Awards
- 2023 · CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) most relevant PhD Thesis
- 2022 · Margarita Salas Accessit Award in the category of Basic Science PhD
- 2022 · Madrid Talent and Technology award in the category of Best Business Projection PhD
- 2021 · PhD Cum Laude and Industrial PhD
- 2020 · ARVO Global Mentorship Program
- 2019 · Full grant to assist to the International School on Light Sciences and Technologies (ISLiST) – Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP)
- 2017 · Industrial PhD from Community of Madrid. IND2017/BMD7670
