Our team

CLINICAL RESEARCH LEAD

Susan Downes MD, FRCOphth is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Senior Research Fellow at the Nuffield Laboratory of Clinical Ophthalmology, and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology, University of Oxford. She is the Clinical Network Lead for Ophthalmology research in the Thames Valley and Clinical research Lead for Ophthalmology in the new Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi).  Her research areas are primarily focused on inherited retinal degeneration and phenotype genotype correlation as well as treatment of age related macular degeneration and central serous chorioretinopathy and sleep studies in ocular disease, and has collaborative links worldwide in these fields with research and training.

PROFESSOR OF OPHTHALMOLOGY

Robert MacLaren DPhil FRCS FRCOphth FACS FMedSci, is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital and an Honorary Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. He is also Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Merton College, where he teaches undergraduate medical students. His main research area is to develop new treatments for retinal disease, primarily using gene therapy. Within the University he heads a team of 16 scientists in the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology where the main focus of his work is to develop gene therapy using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors and gene editing (CRISPR).

CLINICAL RESEARCH NURSE MANAGER

Matias earned his Nursing Degree in 2017 in Spain. He started his career as a District Nurse before moving to the UK, where he spent two years in the Specialist Surgery Ward at John Radcliffe Hospital caring for a diverse group of patients. He specialised in ophthalmology completing Post-Graduate Certificates in Ophthalmic care as well as Genomics. He currently manages the team as Clinical Research Nurse manager in the Eye Research Group Oxford, where he started his research career as a Research Nurse back in 2019, coordinating clinical trials from set-up to close-down, and ensuring high-quality care and positive engagement for participating patients.

RESEARCH SISTER

Anna began her ophthalmic career at the Countess of Chester Hospital before a move to the Oxford Eye Hospital in 2003 where she completed her specialist ophthalmic training. Her research interest began in 2004 with the development of a pain assessment tool for Ophthalmology which led to a combined role as an out-patients nurse and research nurse. In 2011, she transitioned to a full-time research post and gained a research management qualification in 2013. Now, as Research Sister, Anna leads groundbreaking Gene Therapy trials for X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa and other inherited retinal degeneration therapies, supporting colleagues and contributing to a progressive research team.

CLINICAL RESEARCH NURSE

Associated with Professor Downes, Alexina, with Anna Rudenko launched The Eye Research Group Oxford. As the ERGO departmental manager, Alexina has overseen the growth of ERGO into a multidisciplinary department.  The Principal Investigator for a clinical trial of a device based upon the theory of “Geste Antagoniste”, a trick   benefiting patients with Blepharospasm. A successful trial means “PressOp” is now available to buy. Alexina’s nurse training was in The Royal Air Force Nursing Service. Joining the NHS, Alexina undertook Ophthalmology training at Moorfields Alexina has acknowledged the time to hand over the management of ERGO to Matias in January 2025

RESEARCH NURSE

Janette has had over 30 years’ experience as an Ophthalmic Nurse. In the 90’s she moved to West Africa, Guinea Bissau, as a Project Coordinator, where she set up an Eye Care Program. This was followed by a couple of years at Worcester Eye Clinic, and a year’s sabbatical at Oxford studying Theology and Biblical Studies. After 7 years gaining experience in new treatments and casualty management at Oxford Eye Hospital, she joined the ERGO team as a Research Nurse, using her nursing and ophthalmic experience to help clinically as well as coordinating in several ophthalmic clinical trials.

CLINICAL RESEARCH NURSE

Pooja gained her Nursing Degree in 2012 and later pursued her Master’s degree in Medical- Surgical (Critical Care) Nursing from NAAC ‘’A’’ Accredited college, Maharashtra, India. She graduated with First class honours and was being awarded with ‘All Rounder Trophy’ for being outstanding in Academic, Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular activities. Her Dissertation manuscript was published in the ‘’International Journal of Nursing Education’’, and she presented various research papers. Over several years, she worked in the various field of Nursing - as a Critical Care Nurse, Clinical Instructor and Senior Lecturer at University. She came in the UK in 2019. She started working as a Registered Haematology Nurse with NHS in 2020. Currently, she has been working as a Senior Clinical Research Nurse since 2021.

RESEARCH COORDINATOR

Kayleigh joined Eye Research Group Oxford in September 2024, transitioning from her previous role in Respiratory Intervention at the John Radcliffe Hospital. She will assume the position of Research Coordinator for the study, CLARITY, beginning in February 2025. Kayleigh’s dedication to patient advocacy guarantees that the patient experience remains a central focus. Eager to expand her knowledge of ophthalmology, she looks forward to collaborating within this multidisciplinary team to contribute to advancements in healthcare through research.

Clinical Research Nurse

Ana gained her Nursing Degree in 2012 in Spain and began her nursing career in A&E before moving to the UK. Ana has since built an extensive career at the John Radcliffe Hospital. She initially worked in the Specialist Surgery Ward, managing a diverse range of patients on a multidisciplinary team: Plastics, ENT, Maxillo-Facial, and Ophthalmic treatment. Ana then progressed to work in Theatre as a scrub nurse, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the Eye Emergency Department (EED) as a Deputy Sister, giving her a well-rounded set of skills. During her time in EED, Ana developed a particular interest in ophthalmology and completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Advanced Patient Centred Ophthalmology Care. This led to her current Gene Therapy Research Nurse position in the Eye Research Group Oxford.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Queen is relatively new to Research team but has a keen interest in the field, stemming from her background in Biological Sciences. Queen has been proactive in expanding her knowledge of research and Ophthalmology. Through her strong inclination to help others, Queen has been able to achieve great progress in her role, including learning relevant clinical skills, so she is able to support her colleagues by assisting in different research studies.

RESEARCH PRACTITIONER

Louise started her research career working in Oncology and Haematology clinical trials at the Churchill Hospital as an administrator. In 2017 she obtained an undergraduate degree in Psychology which enabled her to become patient facing in her role. Since then, she has guided participants through a variety of different studies and is passionate about making sure that patients have the best possible care whilst they are on a clinical trial and that opportunities in research are available to all service users. In her current position as Research Practitioner in the Eye Research Group, she co-ordinates multiple clinical trials and with the help of her colleagues ensures that patient centred research with high data integrity is completed in this setting.

SENIOR RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR

Joe joined ERGO in January 2023 having gained several years’ experience working for the NHS in a variety of administration capacities starting in 2016. He transitioned to clinical research in November 2018, initially as a Data Manager in the Late Phase Haematology team and then as a Research Support Administrator for Neurology in July 2021. With his high attention to detail and organisational skills, Joe makes a valuable contribution by helping oversee clinical trial administration within the team. This includes coordinating aspects of both study set-up & close-out in addition to providing support to clinical research colleagues for active studies.

GENE THERAPY TRIAL COORDINATOR

Aleena Viepadan joined the Eye Research Group (ERGO) in June 2019 as a Gene Therapy Trial Coordinator. She holds a BSc in Medical Genetics from Queen Mary University and an MSc in Stem Cell Therapy from the University of Nottingham. Aleena previously worked as a Project associate in clinical trials. At ERGO, she coordinates multiple gene therapy trials. She is also trained in microperimetry and processing samples. Aleena promotes research as an NIHR Research Champion and works to raise awareness of ophthalmic research in the community as an Ophthalmic Community Research Coordinator alongside her coordinator role.

JUNIOR RESEARCH COORDINATOR

Lina joined the Eye Research Group in 2022, initially in an administrative role, providing support to the research team. After successfully completing a research coordinator course in 2024, she transitioned into her new role as Junior Research Coordinator. Lina currently manages the Genetic Susceptibility to HCQ-associated Retinopathy study, a multi-site project involving 24 UK locations, under Professor Downes. Eager to expand her knowledge, Lina has developed a keen interest in ophthalmic imaging and will pursue this by aiming to obtaining a qualification in Healthcare Science while training as a research ophthalmic photographer.

RESEARCH OPTOMETRIST

Shabnam is a research optometrist, graduating from City, University of London with a degree in Optometry in 2019. She has experience working within the community and volunteering for the provision of eye care services abroad. At ERGO, she conducts visual assessments on patients participating in clinical trials. She has a developing interest in eye research and was the recipient of The Ian Fraser Cup for clinical research at the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress in 2023.

RESEARCH OPTOMETRIST

Laura is a specialist research optometrist supporting gene therapy clinical trials. After earning her Optometry BSc (Hons) from Cardiff University, she completed her training with the College of Optometrists and became fully qualified in 2013. Laura has worked in various community practices while undertaking further postgraduate study, earning Professional Certificates in Medical Retina, Low Vision, and Glaucoma, as well as a PgCert in Genomic Medicine from Imperial College London. Her research focuses on developing innovative ways to assess visual function, helping to improve outcome measures in clinical trials for inherited retinal diseases.

RESEARCH OPTOMETRIST

Aman is a specialist Optometrist assessing outcomes in visual functions in various clinical trials. Aman obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Optometry from Cardiff University and later pursued a Master’s degree in Mathematics at Cambridge and a PhD in Physics at Nottingham University. Aman has significant experience working in community practices and has been involved in teaching medical and Optometry students as well as charitable outreach programmes. Aman also has a particular interest in statistical methods and optimizing diagnostic tests in an effort to identify areas of improvement in assessment techniques so that new therapies are correctly assessed prior to approval.

RESEARCH PHOTOGRAPHER

Jonathan is a Research Photographer at the Oxford Eye Hospital where he has been based since 2004. He’s been lead author on many publications and his images have featured throughout the 9th and 10th editions of Kanski’s Clinical Ophthalmology where he worked as picture editor. He has also been recognised for the quality of his work with over 30 imaging awards both nationally and internationally. His most recent project involved researching retinal painters for a paper on the life and works of Terence Tarrant. Painting Unknown Worlds was published in Eye and the paper was presented as part of the 2023 Cambridge Ophthalmology Symposium.

BUSINESS MANAGER

As ERGO Business Manager Matt’s role is to ensure the financial health and efficiency of research projects. His responsibilities include budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning, ensuring that funds are allocated effectively to support various studies. Matt collaborates closely with researchers to understand their financial needs, manage grants, and monitor expenditures to ensure compliance with regulations. Matt’s role ensures that the research team can focus on scientific innovation, confident that their financial resources are managed optimally.