Fight for Sight welcomes new Director of Research, Policy & Innovation

Fight for Sight, the UK’s leading eye research charity, is delighted to announce its latest Director appointment. Dr Neil Ebenezer is taking on the charity’s Director of Research, Policy and Innovation role, starting this month [May 2018].

Dr Ebenezer steps into the role at a time when the charity is growing and delivering significant support to the eye research sector. He will lead the charity’s programme of developing solutions for those who are or may be affected by sight loss, providing direction on all research activities, policy and influencing work and delivering innovative solutions.

Prior to joining Fight for Sight, Dr Ebenezer was Head of Science and Innovation at the Department of Transport. Earlier in his career, he gained a PhD from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, working there for over 13 years. This means that he has an excellent network within the research community that will be helpful to Fight for Sight. Since leaving the Institute of Ophthalmology in 2005, Neil has held various posts within the civil service, including working on novel medical devices at the MHRA (the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency), and at the Department of Health supporting policy on genomic medicine.

Michele Acton, Chief Executive of Fight for Sight, welcomed the appointment: “It is a pleasure to welcome Neil to the Fight for Sight team. Neil’s skills and experience make him ideally placed to lead the Research Directorate here at Fight for Sight.”

Dr Ebenezer added: “I am delighted to be joining Fight for Sight, particularly as it’s an exciting time with work on our new research strategy at an advanced stage. I’m looking forward to the being able to implement the strategy and use it as an opportunity to develop our policy and influencing work.”