Barry Cense studied Applied Physics at the Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven (1995). He holds a PhD degree from Twente University, the Netherlands (2005). His research has brought him from the Netherlands (Philips Corporate Research), to the USA (Massachusetts General Hospital, Indiana University, University of Nebraska Medical Center), Japan (Utsunomiya University), South Korea (Yonsei University) to Australia (University of Western Australia). He is the (co-)inventor of 13 published US patents and the (co-)author of more than 60 peer-reviewed published papers. These papers have been cited more than 14,200 times (source: Google Scholar, July 2026) and he has an H-index of 40 (including citations to patents).

Oculomics is the study of the relationship between the eye and systemic health, or disease, using eye scans and other techniques. Together with my students and collaborators, we are using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to study retinal blood vessel walls, to diagnose diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease.

We also use the technology to image through catheters (asthma) and needle (Duchenne muscle dystrophy), to diagnose diseases with minimal invasiveness. Optical coherence tomography can also be combined with Teraherz imaging to quantify the structure and water content of biological tissue. We are using this combination to study the water content of contect lenses and the cornea.

2019: 

• ENSC2001 - Motion, co-coordinator. This is a first-year unit. I am coordinating the workshop sessions. Students build an autonomous vehicle that finds its way and fires a rocket. The rocket is pressurized with air. Approximately 250 students participate.
• ELEC5552 - Design, co-coordinator. This is a 5th year capstone unit, where students work on real world problems, desiging, building and testing prototypes for companies and academics at UWA. Currently, 26 groups of about 6 studens each are enrolled.