Research Grants Assessment Panel 

Members of the Research Grants Assessment Panel (RGAP) have a broad range of research and clinical expertise – they assess funding applications, make recommendations to the Social Impact and Scientific Research (SISR) Committee and provide feedback to help shape and improve our processes.

The Core RGAP

The Core RGAP is made up of the Chair, Vice Chair and up to eleven other independent experts. In addition to reviewing grant applications, the Core group attend RGAP meetings to discuss the larger applications.

Professor Alan Stitt (Chair)

Dean of Innovation and Impact, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queens University Belfast

Associate Professor Denize Atan

Associate Professor in Neuro-ophthalmology, Neuroscience and Genetics, University of Bristol

Dr Gabriela Czanner

Reader in Statistics for Healthcare, Liverpool John Moores University

Professor Lynda Erskine

Chair in Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen University, Scotland

Associate Professor Lisa Hill

Associate Professor in Translational Neuroscience, University of Birmingham

Professor Majlinda Lako

Professor of Stem Cell Science, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle

Dr Roly Megaw

Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist, University of Edinburgh

Professor Rachael Pearson

Professor of Developmental Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London

Professor Jugnoo Rahi

Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London

Professor Reinier Schlingemann

Professor of Ophthalmology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Professor Jessica Teeling

Professor of Experimental Neuroimmunology, Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton

Professor Jan Wijnholds

Professor of Ophthalmology, Department of Neuromedical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands

Professor Colin Willoughby

Professor of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Northern Ireland

The College of Experts RGAP

The College of Experts RGAP is made of up to fifteen members with specific expertise in a broad range of conditions and methods. These members may be co-opted to RGAP meetings to balance numbers and provide expertise.

Dr Mark Ahearne

Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical, Manufacturing & Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Professor Brendan Barrett

Professor of Visual Development, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Bradford, Bradford

Professor Anil Anthony Bharath

Professor of Biologically Inspired Computation & Inference, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College, London

Professor Ted Garway-Heath

Honorary Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London

Professor Luminita Paraoan

Professor of Molecular Cell Biology, Biology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk

Professor Stuart Peirson

Associate Professor, Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford

Dr Tony Redmond

Senior Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision, Cardiff University, Cardiff

Dr Xinhua Shu

Reader in Biomedical/Vision Sciences, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow

Professor Patrick Yu-Wai-Man

Professor and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge