Dr. Yue Wu takes leadership role in Computational Ophthalmology Lab

From Shanghai to Switzerland to Seattle, Dr. Yue Wu, PhD, has traveled a long way in his life.

Wu is now leading the Computational Ophthalmology Lab in the Vision Science Center at South Lake Union. This summer, faculty members Aaron and Cecilia Lee, previous leaders of this lab, relocated for new leadership positions at Washington University in St. Louis.

Now an Acting Assistant Professor, Wu was initially recruited to UW by the Lees in 2017 after completing his PhD in mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

Computational Ophthalmology uses machine learning and data science methods to leverage modern computing and more modern deep learning and AI datasets.

This has included analysis of retinal images to understand how labels for dementia can be determined from these images. Over many years of study, the EYE-ACT studies have found that the eye is almost a biological twin of the brain, detecting retinal biomarkers for dementia, and it can be detected earlier.

The Lees’ major EYE-ACT study and Bridges to AI work will continue at UW under Wu’s leadership and that of Associate Professor Kathryn Pepple, MD, PhD, who also serves as Director of Clinical Research.

Wu is also working on a significant study of Macular telangiectasia (MacTel), a rare eye disorder affecting the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision. 

He collaborates on analyzing data with many faculty members, including Bucey Chair Russ Van Gelder, Dr. Pepple, and Dr. Tim Cherry from Seattle Children’s.

Born in Shanghai, Dr. Wu moved to Switzerland when he was 8 years old. His parents worked as translators for the United Nations in Geneva. He came to the United States for college at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Statistics. He went on to Cambridge to earn his PhD in machine learning before joining the Computational Ophthalmology Lab at UW.

“I like solving practical problems. How can we understand patterns that the data gives us?” Dr. Wu said.

In his free time, Dr. Wu enjoys biking and playing squash.