Crabb Lab – City St George’s, University of London
3-Year Fully Funded PhD Studentship Digital Eye Health, Virtual Reality & Tablet-Based Vision Testing
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3-Year Fully Funded PhD Studentship
Digital Eye Health, Virtual Reality & Tablet-Based Vision Testing
Crabb Lab
Department of Optometry and Visual Sciences City St George's, University of London In collaboration with Irida Health
Help shape the future of digital eye care
This fully funded PhD offers a rare opportunity to develop and evaluate innovative digital technologies that could transform how sight-threatening eye disease is detected and monitored. Working across academia, the NHS and industry, you will help develop tablet-based and virtual reality (VR) approaches for measuring visual function, with the aim of improving access to eye care and reducing preventable blindness.
Unlike many PhD projects, the research direction is intentionally flexible. While the project has clear overall aims, there is genuine scope for the successful student to shape the specific research questions, methodologies and focus alongside the Crabb Lab and Irida Health. We are not constrained by predefined grant deliverables, giving the student an unusual level of ownership over their PhD.
About the project
Digital technologies have enormous potential to make eye care more accessible, scalable and patient-centred. This PhD will focus on developing, refining and validating innovative tablet-based vision tests and immersive VR assessments that can be used both within and beyond traditional clinical settings. The work will involve evaluating these technologies against established clinical standards while exploring how they can be deployed in community settings to reach people who currently face barriers to accessing eye care. The project spans vision science, digital health, clinical research and technology translation, offering the opportunity to produce research with genuine real-world impact.
Research areas
The exact PhD programme will be developed with the successful candidate but is expected to include:
- Validation and optimisation of tablet-based visual function tests
- Development and refinement of VR-based vision assessment tools
- Comparison of digital technologies against gold-standard clinical measures
- Community and hospital-based data collection across London
- Translation of research into scalable healthcare technologies
- Scientific publications and conference presentations
- Close collaboration with clinicians, patients and industry partners
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Training and environment
You will join the internationally recognised Crabb Lab, a leading research group in glaucoma, visual field testing and digital ophthalmic technologies. The Crabb Lab is multidisciplinary and in the past students have come from degrees as varied as psychology, optometry, computer science, physics, philosophy, maths, and medicine. The project also provides extensive collaboration with Irida Health, offering experience of translating research into real-world healthcare innovation.
Training opportunities include:
- Experimental vision science
- Digital health evaluation
- Clinical research methods
- Statistical modelling and analysis
- Community-based research
- Translational research and industry collaboration
- Scientific writing and conference presentation
In the last 10 years alone, our graduates have gone on to successful careers including university lectureships (n=6), postdoctoral research positions (n=3), clinical academic careers (n=3) and research fellowships (n=2).
Who we're looking for
We are looking for someone who is motivated by improving patient outcomes through innovative research. The ideal candidate will be curious, collaborative and excited by working across academia, healthcare and industry. They should enjoy solving practical problems and be comfortable engaging with patients, clinicians and community partners, not just laboratory research. This PhD would suit applicants who want their work to have tangible clinical impact.
The PhD will involve elements of statistical analysis, basic computer programming, working with patients and clinicians, and operating specialist clinical equipment (e.g., optical coherence tomography). However, we do not expect applicants to possess all of these skills already, and the successful candidate will be supported to develop these skills as required.
Essential requirements
Applicants should have (or expect to obtain) a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline such as:
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- Optometry
- Medicine
- Vision Science
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Computer Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Or another closely related subject
The successful applicant should also:
- Be eligible for Home (UK) tuition fee status
- Be able to work on-site minimum of three days per week at City St George's and partner hospital sites in and around London
- Be willing to undertake face-to-face participant testing
Funding
The studentship provides:
- Full payment of Home (UK) tuition fees
- Annual tax-free stipend of £22,780 (£20,780 UKRI-level stipend plus £2,000 London weighting)
- Funding for three years (full-time)
We welcome enquiries from applicants wishing to study part-time or discuss a flexible start date (for example, alongside clinical work), although full-time study is preferred. Hybrid working is supported where appropriate, but regular on-site attendance is expected because of participant testing and collaborative laboratory work.
Please note: This studentship is funded at the Home (UK) tuition fee rate only. Unfortunately, funding is not available to cover Overseas tuition fees or visa sponsorship, so applicants must already be eligible for Home fee status.
Start date
Application deadline: 31 August 2026
Preferred start: Flexible: (next PhD registrations October 2026; April 2027)
Why this PhD?
- Shape your own research programme rather than joining a tightly prescribed project.
- Work with an internationally recognised research group and an innovative digital health company.
- Develop cutting-edge VR and tablet-based technologies with real clinical potential.
- Gain experience across academia, healthcare and industry.
- Conduct research with direct patient and public impact.
- Join a lab with an excellent track record of supporting graduates into successful academic, clinical and industry careers.
To apply, please send your personal statement and full CV to bethany.higgins.2@city.ac.uk. If you would like further information about the PhD project or have any questions before applying, please feel free to contact me at the same email address.
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