corneal PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

It is estimated that 135 million people have severely impaired vision because of a loss of corneal transparency. Corneal blindness is considered the 4th largest cause of blindness worldwide, after cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Genetic studies of corneal endothelial dystrophies and development of alternative treatment options

University of Leeds
Faculty of Medicine and Health

Dr M Ali

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The cornea is the protective front part of the eye that provides most of the eyes focusing power. The endothelium is a single-cell layer on the inside of the cornea that maintains fluid balance and is required for corneal transparency.

Small nerve fibre damage and sexual dysfunction in diabetes and obesity. A mechanistic assessment and effect of lipid modifying agents.

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Dr H Soran, Prof R Malik, Dr R Donn, Dr M Ferdousi

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Diabetes and its complications represent a growing global health burden, affecting an estimated 366 million people worldwide.

Towards a THz imager for eye diagnosis

University of Birmingham
School of Physics and Astronomy

Dr M Navarro-Cia

Application Deadline: 1 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Sandwiched between microwaves and infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum, THz radiation (ca. 0.1 – 3 THz) holds promise for medical diagnosis, security applications (chemical fingerprinting and standoff screening) and industrial control processes [1].

Development of a three dimensional in vitro model of the human cornea to dissect the inflammatory events associated with sight-threatening ocular pathogens

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Dr C Dobson, Dr C Maldonado-Codina, Prof P Morgan

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The presence of microbes at the corneal surface may trigger low grade discomfort through to acute eye infection and permanent loss of vision.

Innovating an anti-tilt human eye topographer

University of Liverpool
School of Engineering

Dr A Abass, Prof A Elsheikh

Application Deadline: 20 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The project aims to design a human eye topographer that able to scan the eye topography without tilting.

PhD studentship: The Bionic Eye – embedding electronic systems in a tissue engineered cornea

Newcastle University
Biosciences Institute

Prof CJ Connon

Application Deadline: 27 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Number of awards. 1. Start date and duration. 28 September 2020. 3 Year PhD. Overview. You will join a world class team undertaking adventurous research at the interface of tissue engineering and microelectronics.

The Biological and Pathological Effects of Blinking (Ref: SF20/APP/MCDERMOTT1)

Northumbria University
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Prof A McDermott

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Blinking is essential to spread the tear film over the surface of the eye and so keeps the eye moist and lubricated to ensure a smooth surface for refraction of light and provision of essential nutrients and protective antimicrobial molecules.

Novel approaches for the treatment of dry eye disease

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
RCSI StAR International PhD Programme Research Projects

Dr J Gabhann, Prof C Murphy

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Inflammation is a key unifying factor for a range of ocular surface inflammatory diseases including autoimmune mediated dry eye disease (DED) and complications with corneal transplantation (CT).

Using massively-paralleled sequencing to find the cause of inherited conditions that affect the front of the eye

University of Leeds
Faculty of Medicine and Health

Dr M Ali, Prof C Inglehearn

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Eye diseases are a common cause of human disability and many of them are inherited. These include congenital as well as adult-onset conditions and diseases of ageing, and may involve abnormalities at the back of the eye or the anterior eye structures.

Developing novel formulations and materials for transmucosal drug delivery

University of Reading
School of Pharmacy

Prof V Khutoryanskiy

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Mucosal routes of drug administration offer numerous advantages including ease of application, non-invasive nature and sometimes possibility of targeting particular organs.