Dr Raymond Najjar

Dr Raymond P. Najjar is a visual neuroscientist. He received his MSc and PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Lyon (France), and later completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University (USA).

He is a Research Director and Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, National University of Singapore (NUS), and Head of the Visual Neurosciences Research Group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI). He also holds appointments at the NUS Department of Biomedical Engineering and Duke-NUS School of Medicine, leads the Translational Visual Neurosciences Programme, and co-leads the Community Eye Care Programme at the NUS Centre for Innovation & Precision Eye Health.

His research explores how light shapes human physiology beyond vision – circadian rhythms, sleep, ocular growth, brain health, and aging – and translates these insights into scalable, practical interventions to improve healthspan, from light-based and AI-driven tools for myopia prevention to the early detection of ocular and neurological disease.

He has raised over USD $15M in research funds, holds three international patents, and partners actively with global leaders in optics, ophthalmology, pharmaceuticals, lighting, and technology. He co-leads three international consortia – BONSAI, ENLIGHT, and APOLLO – spanning 90+ institutions worldwide, with results published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Biomedical Engineering, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Annals of Neurology, and Ophthalmology. He is a sought-after speaker for industry, academic, and investor audiences.

He has taught in Singapore, the US, France, and Lebanon, and is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.

• PhD (2012), Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, France (Summa Cum Laude)
• MSc (2008), Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, France (Magna Cum Laude, 1st/30)
• BSc (Biology) (2007), Lebanese University, Faculty of Science, Lebanon (With High Honours, Top 5%)

• Organising Committee, NUH Scientific Research Congress 2026 (2026 – 2026)
• Research Director, Department of Ophthalmology, National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore (2025 – Present)
• Member, Asia Pacific Myopia Society (2024 – Present)
• Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2023 – Present)
• Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2022 – Present)
• Member, Scientific Review Panel, Singapore Eye Research Institute (2020 – Present)
• Member, Faculty and Professional Development Committee, SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme (2018 – Present)
• Instructor, SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme, (2016 – 2020)
• Member, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) (2015 – Present)
• Senior Research Fellow, Singapore Eye Research Institute (2015 – 2018)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, INSERM Unit 846, France (2015 – 2015)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University, USA (2012 – 2015)
• Head Teaching Assistant, Biology Department, Stanford University, USA (2012 – 2013)
• Lecturer, Claude Bernard University, Lyon 1, France (2010 – 2012)
• Research Fellow, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, France (2008 – 2012)

• Research Mentor Award, NUHS Ophthalmology, Singapore (2024)
• SingHealth Publish Award, SingHealth, Singapore (2021)
• Postdoctoral Scholarship, French Society of Research in Sleep Medicine (SFRMS) (2014)
• Research Merit Award, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) (2014)
• Excellence Award, Sleep Research Society (SRS) (2014)
• Research Merit Award, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) (2012)
• Research Scholarship, French Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (FAF) (2011)
• Short Oral Communication Prize, XII. Congress of the European Biological Rhythms Society (2011)
• Poster Prize, XI. Congress of the European Biological Rhythms Society Congress (2009)
• MENRT Competitive Research Scholarship with Honours, Ranked: 1st/21, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Français, Lyon, France (2008)
• Honour Award, Lebanese University, Lebanon (2007)

• Light-inspired Pharmacological Therapies for Myopia (2025 – Present)
• Light Modulation Strategies for Cognitive and Mental Health (2025 – Present)
• Chromatic Pupillometry for the Detection of Neurological Integrity (2025 – Present)
• Optimizing Light Exposure for Myopia Prevention and Resilient Aging (LIGHTSPAN) (2023 – Present)
• The Drive for Refractive Error Control: Interactions Between Light and Optics (2019 – 2023)
• Artificial Intelligence for the Detection of Optic Disc Abnormalities (2019 – 2022)
• Patterns of Bright Light for the Prevention of Myopia: A Reverse-Translational Study (2018 – 2023)
• Eye Movements and Pupillary Responses in Neuro-ophthalmology, Quantified with Head-mounted Infrared Oculography (2016 – 2018)
• Handheld Chromatic Pupillometry for the Detection of Ocular Diseases (2015 – Present)
• The Impact of Light on Ocular Growth and Metabolomics in a Chicken Model of Myopia (2015 – 2019)
• Development of a Novel Test (SCoPE: Singapore Colour Pupillometry Evaluation) for Assessing Photoreceptor Dysfunction in Patients with Glaucoma Using the Pupillary Light Reflex (2014 – 2019)
• Blue-deprived Light as a Countermeasure to Reduced Sleepiness and Increased Falls in the Elderly During Nocturnal Awakenings (2013 – 2016)
• Ultrashort (Msec) Light Exposure as a Countermeasure to Circadian Desynchrony (2011 – 2015)
• The Development of a Refined and Affordable Lens Density Measurement Setup (2009 – 2013)
• Blue-enriched White Light to Alleviate Chronobiological Disorders on the Concordia Polar Station (2009 – 2012)
• The Impact of Aging on Non-image Forming Response to Light (2008 – 2012)
• Refined Flicker Photometry Technique to Measure Ocular Lens Density (2008 – 2010)

1. Mahfoud, D, Ang J, Ang B-T, Nongpiur M, Milea D, Najjar RP. Recovery in Pupillometric Non-visual Functions Following Chiasmal Decompression in Pituitary Adenoma. Brain Commun. 2026 Jun 19. fcag233. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag233. JIF: 5.1.
2. Bullimore MA, Saunders KJ, Baraas RC, Berntsen DA, Chen Z, Chia AWL, Goto S, Jiang J, Lan W, Logan NS, Najjar RP, Polling JR, Read SA, Woodman-Pieterse EC, Széll N, Verkicharla PK, Wu PC, Zhu X, Loughman J, Nagra M, Phillips JR, Tran HDM, Vera-Diaz FA, Yam J, Liu YM, Singh SE, Wildsoet CF. IMI-interventions for Controlling Myopia Onset and Progression 2025. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025 Sep 2;66(12):39. doi: 10.1167/iovs.66.12.39. JIF: 5.0 (top 1% cited).
3. Ashby R, Harb EN, Ostrin LA, Flitcroft DI, Schaeffel F, Karouta C, Gawne T, Chakraborty R, Thomson K, Read S, Baraas RC, Najjar RP, Rose K, Phillips JR, Wu PC, He X, Liu XN, Lan W, Swiatczak B, Torii H, Chia A, Morgan I. IMI: The Role of Light in Refractive Development and Myopia: Evidence from Animal and Human Studies. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025 Dec 1;66(15):5. doi: 10.1167/iovs.66.15.5. PMID: 41328994; PMCID: PMC12701611. JIF: 5.0.
4. Biswas S, Busoy JMF, Barathi VA, Muralidharan AR, Schmetterer L, Kathrani BK, Brennan NA, Najjar RP. Interactions Between High-intensity Light and Unrestricted Vision in the Drive for Hyperopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Dec 2;65(14):22. doi: 10.1167/iovs.65.14.22. PMID: 39656469; PMCID: PMC11645742. JIF: 4.9.
5. Biswas S, El Kareh A, Qureshi M, Lee DMX, Sun C-H, Lam JSH, Saw S-M, Najjar RP. The Influence of the Environment and Lifestyle on Myopia. J Physiol Anthropol. 2024, 43, no. 1: 7. JIF: 2.5, Times Cited: 240 (top 1% cited).
6. Najjar RP, Prayag AS, Gronfier C. Melatonin Suppression by Light Involves Different Retinal Photoreceptors in Young and Older Adults. J Pineal Res. 2024 Jan;76(1):e12930. doi: 10.1111/jpi.12930. PMID: 38241677. JIF: 12.1.
7. Spitschan M, Kervezee L, Lok R, McGlashan E, Najjar RP, ENLIGHT Consortium. ENLIGHT: A Consensus Checklist for Reporting Laboratory-based Studies on the Non-visual Effects of Light in Humans. EBioMedicine. 2023 Dec 2;98:104889. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104889, Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38043137. JIF: 11.2.
8. Biswas S, Muralidharan AR, Kaijun B, …, Brennan N, Najjar RP. A Duration-dependent Interaction Between High-intensity Light and Unrestricted Vision in the Drive for Myopia Control. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2023 JIF: 4.9.
9. Finkelstein MT, Nongpiur ME, Husain R, Perera S, Baskaran M, Wong TT, Aung T, Milea D, Najjar RP. Handheld Chromatic Pupillometry Can Reliably Detect Functional Glaucomatous Damage in Eyes with High Myopia. Br J Ophthalmol. 2023 Jul 31:bjo-2023-323878. doi: 10.1136/bjo-2023-323878. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37524446.
10. Liu X, Jiang L, Ke M, Sigal IA, Chua J, Hoang QV, Chia AW, Najjar RP, Tan B, Cheong J, Bellemo V, Chong RS, Girard MJA, Ang M, Liu M, Garhöfer G, Barathi VA, Saw SM, Villiger M, Schmetterer L. Posterior Scleral Birefringence Measured by Triple-input Polarization-sensitive Imaging as a Biomarker of Myopia Progression. Nat Biomed Eng. 2023 Aug;7(8):986-1000. doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01062-w. Epub 2023 Jun 26. PMID: 37365268; PMCID: PMC10427432. JIF: 29.2.
11. Vasseneix C, Nusinovici S, Xu X, Hwang JM, Hamann S, Chen JJ, Loo JL, Milea L, Tan KBK, Ting DSW, Liu Y, Newman NJ, Biousse V, Wong TY, Milea D, Najjar RP, for the BONSAI Group. Deep Learning System Outperforms Clinicians in Identifying Optic Disc Abnormalities. J Neuroophthalmol. Epub 2023 Jan 31:10.1097/WNO.0000000000001800. doi:10.1097/WNO.0000000000001800. JIF: 4.4.
12. Tan TE, Finkelstein MT, Tan GSW, Tan ACS, Chan CM, Mathur R, Wong EYM, Cheung CMG, Wong TY, Milea D, Najjar RP. Retinal Neural Dysfunction in Diabetes Revealed with Handheld Chromatic Pupillometry. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. Epub 2022 May 26. doi:10.1111/ceo.14116. JIF: 4.4.
13. Muralidharan AR, Low SWY, Lee YC, Barathi VA, Saw SM, Milea D, Najjar RP. Recovery from Form-deprivation Myopia in Chicks Is Dependent Upon the Fullness and Correlated Color Temperature of the Light Spectrum. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022 Feb 1;63(2):16. JIF: 4.9, Times Cited: 4.
14. Najjar RP, Rukmini AV, Finkelstein MT, Nusinovici S, Mani B, Nongpiur ME, Perera S, Husain R, Aung T, Milea D. Handheld Chromatic Pupillometry Can Accurately and Rapidly Reveal Functional Loss in Glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol 2021; bjophthalmol-2021-319938. doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2021-319938 JIF: 6.0.
15. Najjar RP, Chao De La Barca, JM, Barathi, VA, Ho, CEH, Lock, JZ, Muralidharan, AR, Tan, RKY, Dhand, C, Lakshminarayanan, R, Reynier, P, Milea, D. Ocular Growth and Metabolomics Are Dependent Upon the Spectral Content of Ambient White Light. Sci Rep. 2021; 11, 7586. JIF :4.4.
16. ​Biousse V, Newman NJ, Najjar RP*, Vasseneix C, …, Milea D, for the BONSAI Group. Optic Disc Classification by Deep Learning Versus Expert Neuro‐ophthalmologists. Annals of Neurology 2020. JIF : 9.8, * Equal contribution.
17. Milea, D*, Najjar RP*,…, Wong TY*, Biousse V*, for the BONSAI Group, Artificial Intelligence to Detect Papilledema from Ocular Fundus Photographs. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382:1687-1695. JIF : 90.8, * Equal contribution.
18. Prayag A, Najjar RP, Gronfier C. Melatonin Suppression is Exquisitely Sensitive to Light and Primarily Driven by Melanopsin in Humans. J Pineal Research. 2019 May;66(4):e12562. JIF: 15.2.
19. Najjar RP, Sharma S, Atalay E, Rukmini AV, Sun C, Lock J-Z, Baskaran M, Perera SA, Husain R, Gooley JJ, Lamoureux E, Aung T, Milea D. Pupillary Responses to Full-field Chromatic Stimuli Are Reduced in Patients with Early-stage Primary Open-angle Glaucoma. Ophthalmology. Sept 2018;125(9):1362-71. JIF: 8.2.
20. Najjar RP, Zeitzer JM. Temporal Integration of Light Flashes by the Human Circadian System (Clinical Trial). J Clin Invest. Feb 2016;126(3):938-47. JIF: 14.1.