PhD.
Predictive models for limbal stem cell deficiency. Newcastle University. Started March 2025.
The problem
Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is a condition in which the cornea’s regenerative stem-cell population is lost or dysfunctional, leading to conjunctivalisation, neovascularisation, and persistent epithelial defects. Clinical trajectories are heterogeneous, and existing grading systems — while useful — leave substantial uncertainty about which patients will progress, respond to conservative management, or require surgical intervention.
The research question
Can a predictive framework, trained on in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) imaging and clinical metadata, improve the characterisation of disease trajectory at the individual-patient level?
Method
Current work focuses on cohort construction, feature engineering from IVCM, and evaluation of supervised and representation-learning approaches under small-sample constraints and rigorous data-governance protocols. The research is conducted within a UK clinical-research framework with cross-functional collaboration between ML engineering and clinical ophthalmology.
Status
First-year candidate (as of April 2026). Expected completion 2028/29.
Open to
- Clinical partners with IVCM datasets interested in collaborative benchmarking.
- Reviewer invitations in ophthalmic AI, medical image analysis, and small-cohort clinical ML.
- Co-authorship in related work (limbal niche biology, corneal epithelial regeneration, image-based prognosis).
Presentations
- “Establishing the Fractal Nature of Corneal Epithelial Cell Boundaries”
British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC 2026), Mini-symposium: Mathematical and Computational Ophthalmology. University of East Anglia, 30 March 2026. - “Establishing the Fractal Nature of Corneal Epithelial Cell Boundaries”
SAgE Faculty Research Conference 2026, Newcastle University, 25 March 2026. Main talk. - Journal Club presentation
MoLES (Modelling and Life Sciences) seminar, Newcastle University, 6 March 2026. - First Annual Progression Review
Newcastle University, 9 December 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD)?
A corneal surface disease caused by loss or dysfunction of the limbal stem cells that maintain the corneal epithelium, producing symptoms ranging from photophobia to vision loss.
What dataset does this research use?
IVCM imaging and associated clinical metadata from a UK clinical-research collaboration.
Who is the supervisor?
Supervised by Francisco Figueiredo, Majlinda Lako, Anvar Shukurov, and Laura Wadkin at Newcastle University.