Dry eye disease and eye drops: retention of dry eye management formulations in eye

About the Project

Details of the Project

If you are interested in pursuing full‑time PhD study in anterior eye research, with a focus on treatment strategies and an in‑depth exploration of the ocular surface and ocular lubricants, this programme may be an opportunity for you.

About one in three adults [1-3] and one in five children [4] meet the diagnostic criteria for dry eye disease (DED), hence it is commonly encountered in routine primary eye care. The UK dry eye disease (DED) market is currently valued at approximately £500 million, while the global market is projected to reach £6 billion by 2025 [5], providing valuable opportunity to work and grow in this sector. The first line of management for DED and any ocular surface disease is topic lubricants[6]. However there is little known about how long the lubricants stay in eye. Most of the preservative free ocular lubricants constitute of polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and polyvinyl alcohol, and viscosity-enhancing agents such as carboxymethylcellulose, hypromellose, and sodium hyaluronate. Other ingredients may include glycerin, dextran, mineral oil, and various buffers. The retention of these lubricants in eye is highly important for DED management & heavily dependent on the mix of ingredients. This study will assess the retention using Fluorescein admixed or molecularly tagged formulations using novel fluorophotometer at the Aston Eye clinical research set up.

Overall the project aims are:

• Review current understanding of retention of ocular lubricants with various constituents in ocular surface
• Help develop novel set up with fluorophotometer on a slit lamp or similar clinical tool for simple, user-friendly regular clinical investigation
• Lead studies towards PhD: cross over or randomised clinical trials assessing ocular surface and DED

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section. This project has associated consumables costs which should be discussed with the supervisor in the first instance and before applying. The supervisor can be contacted at d.dutta@aston.ac.uk. When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Person Specification

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, in a relevant subject.

OR

b] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, and a Merit or Distinction in a Masters degree, both in a relevant subject.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be considered, but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr Debarun Dutta at d.dutta@aston.ac.uk

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Apply for this position here here

Please select “Research - Health Sciences” from the application form options.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This project covers the Home tuition fees. Candidates who do not have Home status will be responsible for the difference in tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. This project has associated consumables costs which should be discussed with the supervisor in the first instance and before applying. The supervisor can be contacted at d.dutta@aston.ac.uk. When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.