Fully-funded PhD Studentship 2026-2027 – RETINA-FAIR: Enabling FAIR Retinal Imaging Data for Early Disease Detection

About the Project

The Northern Ophthalmic Research and Innovation (NORI) Institute is a flagship interdisciplinary partnership between the Universities of Sunderland, Durham, and Newcastle, the NHS, and regional and national civic and industry partners. NORI is focused on transforming eye and systemic disease detection through advanced imaging, data science and artificial intelligence, and health and clinical sciences. We bring together world-class expertise, clinical datasets, cutting-edge analytics, and community-based innovation to deliver earlier diagnosis, smarter care, and place-based health impact.

This PhD opportunity is a designated Quinlan Studentship, established in recognition of Emeritus Professor Roy Quinlan’s foundational contribution to the vision and establishment of NORI. PhD students in NORI will work in a highly collaborative interdisciplinary environment, embedded across academia, healthcare, and industry with the opportunity to undertake world-leading doctoral research and join a cohort of future leaders in health data sciences.

During the 3-year PhD, students will take part in a bespoke training programme, supported with networking events and tailored coaching, and take advantage of the research and placement opportunities provided by our range of external partners.

Project Overview

Many of the world’s most serious diseases—including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer—develop silently over many years before symptoms appear, when treatment options are limited and outcomes are worse. Retinal imaging provides a unique opportunity to detect early biological signals of these conditions, as the eye is the only place where blood vessels and neural tissue can be observed directly, non-invasively, and at scale. As a result, hundreds of millions of retinal images are captured globally each year as part of routine eye care.

Despite this enormous potential, retinal imaging data remain fragmented and difficult to use for research. Images are produced by multiple manufacturers, stored in proprietary formats, accompanied by inconsistent or incomplete metadata, and often cannot be accessed by standard research tools. These technical and data-structural barriers prevent researchers from combining datasets across hospitals, regions, or countries, severely limiting large-scale, multi-centre studies and slowing the development of safe and effective artificial intelligence tools for early disease detection.

This PhD will address these challenges directly through the RETINA-FAIR programme. You will develop an open-access, user-friendly toolkit that enables retinal imaging data to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). The toolkit will automatically identify imaging formats, modalities, and scan protocols; extract and harmonise image data and metadata from diverse proprietary file types; convert images into standardised medical imaging formats; and assess data quality and completeness prior to downstream analysis.

By creating a robust “translation layer” for retinal imaging data, this project will unlock the ability to combine and analyse eye scans across institutions and technologies. This foundational work will enable larger, more inclusive research studies, accelerate the responsible development of AI-based diagnostic tools, and support earlier detection of eye and systemic disease—ultimately improving patient care and reducing health inequalities.

Eligibility and Requirements

All applicants must have or expect to obtain a first-class or higher second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant STEM subject. Suitable backgrounds include, but are not limited to: biomedical imaging, computer science, data science, medical informatics, software engineering, physics, or related quantitative disciplines.

Applicants with higher second-class honours degree or equivalent, must meet one of the following criteria at the time of application:

• Have or expect to obtain a Master’s degree and have submitted two professional or academic reference at the time of application, which should cover your role on a research project.
• Have a minimum of 2 to 5-years full-time, or equivalent, relevant professional work experience and have submitted two professional or academic reference at the time of application, which should cover your role on a research project.

If English is not your first language, you will need a British Council International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with at least 6.0 in each component.

Institutions

This innovative, interdisciplinary PhD programme is a collaboration between academics from across the University of Sunderland, Durham University, and Newcastle University. Students will be based at University of Sunderland, the host organisation of NORI, but working in close partnership and collaboration with Durham and Newcastle universities.

With an emphasis on research at the forefront of practice, NORI brings diverse specialists with a breadth of expertise that will enable you to develop a thematic lens to computer sciences that is aligned to your unique interests.

How to Apply

To apply for this PhD programme we require the following:

• A full academic CV
• Two academic or professional references
• Degree certificate(s) and transcript of marks
• A supporting statement

The supporting statement is your opportunity to tell us what you would have to offer as a postgraduate researcher at NORI. Your statement should be no longer than two pages and include:

• Your motivations to pursue this programme of postgraduate research at NORI
• How the key findings of your previous research experience, and the techniques and skills you’ve developed make you a strong candidate for this opportunity.

Email application to Professor Matthew Campbell, NORI at NORI@sunderland.ac.uk by the closing date of Sunday 22nd June 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Any applications received after this time or without all requested documentation will not be considered.

Please five the full project title listed in this advert in your email subject heading.

Applications will be reived by the academic panel and shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend and interview. If you are shortlisted for interview, you be notified of an interview date in July.

Key Dates

• Deadline to apply: 22nd June 2026
• Interviews and outcome: July 2026
• Start: October 2026

Get in Touch

Informal enquiries about the research or NORI prior to application are encouraged and can be directed to NORI Co-Directors: Professor Matthew Campbell and Professor David Steel at NORI@sunderland.ac.uk

Funding Notes

The funding provided for this fully funded PhD will include three years of both UK home-rate tuition fees and monthly stipend payments at the recommended UKRI rate (expected to be confirmed at £21,383 per annum for session 2026/27), extensive support for research training, a top specification laptop for the duration of your studies, up to £3,000 research activity allowance, and internships with academic and/or industrial partners. Studentships are available to home and EU students of settled or pre-settled status; overseas students are eligible for this studentship but would need to self-fund the different in home and overseas fees.