James Wolffsohn is a professor of optometry at Aston University, and formerly deputy executive dean for life sciences and then associate pro-vice chancellor, and is now head of the school of optometry and also head of the department of audiology. Prior to his appointment to Aston University, Professor Wolffsohn was a clinical research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia following an optometry degree at the University of Manchester (UMIST), training period at Moorfields Eye Hospital and a PhD at Cardiff University. His main research areas are the development and evaluation of ophthalmic instrumentation, myopia management, contact lenses, intraocular lenses and the tear film.

He is a national teaching fellow, has published more than 295 full peer-reviewed papers and presented at numerous international conferences. He is the academic chair of the BCLA, having previously being president and was chair of the BCLA contact lens evidence-based academic reports (CLEAR); he is on the executive of TFOS, was a harmoniser and subcommittee chair for TFOS DEWS II and TFOS lifestyle reports; he is the International Myopia Institute’s chief scientific officer and was joint-chair of their white papers. He holds the BCLA Medal (2021) and AAOptom Glenn Fry Award (2022).