Fight for Sight scientist 'over the moon' with promotion to Associate Professor

A Fight for Sight scientist is taking her sight-saving research career to the next level, recently being appointed to a prestigious Associate Professorship role at the University of Birmingham.

With Fight for Sight funding since 2018, Dr Lisa Hill, now Associate Professor, is advancing her career and will have the opportunity to teach students looking to pave their way in the eye research sector.

Associate Professor Hill completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2015 and has since undertaken research placements at Queen’s University Belfast, University California Irvine and the University of Melbourne and has taught in Biomedical Science, Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy undergraduate degrees.

Speaking about the new title, Associate Professor Hill told us: “I am over the moon that I have the opportunity to pass on knowledge and my expertise to the next generation of scientists in the eye research sector. Funding from Fight for Sight has been a real steppingstone and I hope I can help give others that same opportunity to grow in the field.”

Funded projects with Fight for Sight

Associate Professor Hill’s most recent work with Fight for Sight has focussed on investigating eye drops as a new and more targeted approach to treatment in uveitis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Effective drugs are available for these  conditions but their administration - through injections to the eye, tablets or infusions affecting the whole body- present limitations and risks to patients. Associate Professor Hill’s research focusses on identifying new therapies and technologies to deliver drugs directly into the eye by safer and less invasive methods

Previously to this project, Associate Professor Hill was granted joint funding from Fight for Sight and Sight Research UK for early-stage research to find a treatment to prevent corneal scarring and reduce the need for corneal transplants.

Her and her team investigated new therapies to help prevent scarring after microbial keratitis (MK) - an infection that causes an inflammatory reaction leading to corneal opacities and sight loss.