Professor Simon Harding
Chair Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, University of Liverpool
Speaker's biography
Professor Harding is a clinical research scientist leading a group of clinical and non-clinical researchers studying retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and malarial retinopathy. Their research programmes related to these areas are in disease mechanisms, ocular structure and function, image analysis, biostatistics, clinical trials and health services research. He is clinically qualified and clinically active. As a senior academic in the Department of Eye and Vision Science (EVS), Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences Professor Harding contributes to research groups in molecular/cellular mechanisms, bioengineering/image analysis and clinical and behavioural research, principally focussed on common chronic diseases.
As Head of Department between 2010 and 2020 he helped to grow EVS to over 40 staff including 16 academics, and to develop a strong partnership with the NHS clinical unit, St. Paul’s Eye Unit with active senior honorary clinical research staff. Having recently completed a term as Clinical Director, Research and Innovation at Liverpool University Hospitals Trust (2018-2020), he continues to contribute to the city’s strengthening commitment to translational and health services research. He has CI experience at programme grant level (Wellcome Trust, NIHR) and has extensive experience as PI/Co-I in a range of international, multicentre and translational studies. Professor Harding has written/contributed to 190 peer reviewed full publication and currently supervise 5 PhD students.