Eye hospital group Optegra has helped two doctoral students pass their PhD viva exams as part of an EU-funded dry eye research consortium.
Dr Tugce Ipek and Dr Alberto Recchioni each completed their doctoral thesis defence successfully at Aston University.
As students, Ipek and Recchioni worked with consultant ophthalmic surgeons, optometrists and technicians in Optegra’s eye hospitals in Birmingham and London. While there, they had access to cutting-edge equipment and a wet lab facility
Optegra’s head of Eye Sciences Dr Clare O’Donnel commented: ‘We are incredibly proud of two of our students who we have supported over the past three years.
‘Optegra has been able to assist with their research while benefitting from the outcomes of their hard work and we believe this is the first time a private hospital group has supported two early stage researchers in this sort of collaboration.’
Both Ipek and Recchioni will graduate in April this year, having secured post-doctoral positions at Kings College London and the University of Birmingham respectively.
Dr Tugce Ipek
