Dr Panos Sergouniotis is a Wellcome Clinician Scientist at the University of Manchester and a Consultant in Ophthalmology and Genetics at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, UK.

Panos received his medical degree from the University of Athens and trained in Ophthalmology in London, Cambridge and the Manchester. He completed subspecialty training in paediatric ophthalmology and ophthalmic genetics in Manchester.

Panos received his PhD from University College London, while conducting research on the genetics of retinal disease under the mentorship of Andrew Webster and Tony Moore at the UCL-Moorfields Institute of Ophthalmology. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral studies in Manchester working with Graeme Black, initially as an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and then as an NIHR Clinical Lecturer.

Panos has received a number of awards for his work, including the Moorfields Research Medal and the EURETINA Ophthalmologica award. He has published over 120 papers and has edited the ‘Clinical Ophthalmic Genetics and Genomics’ textbook.

In 2021, Panos was awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship. This has allowed him to establish a multidisciplinary research group working at the interface of genomics, developmental biology and advanced ophthalmic imaging.

• Medical Degree 2007
• PhD 2012
• FEBO 2016
• FRCOphth 2018
• CCT Ophthalmology 2021

The fovea is a small, highly specialised area at the centre of the retina. It is the site of maximal visual acuity and facilitates most daily life activities, including reading and face recognition. For reasons that are not well understood, it is selectively affected in a wide range of retinal disorders; these include common causes of visual impairment in adults (e.g. age-related macular degeneration) and children (e.g. albinism).

Foveal morphology differs significantly among individuals and populations but what causes this variation and what implications it has for vision remains unclear. Panos’ lab uses a multidisciplinary approach combining genetic association studies, retinal imaging and stem cell biology techniques to address this question. The key goals of his research are (i) to advance understanding of the basic developmental and organisational principles of the fovea and (ii) to better estimate an individual's risk of developing visual loss. His ultimate aim is to provide a framework for preserving and restoring high-resolution foveal vision.

Panos has supervised >15 pre- and post-doctoral researchers and >5 NIHR academic clinical trainees; this has led to the successful completion of 2 PhDs and 12 early-career postgraduate degrees.

Panos regularly contributes to the following University of Manchester postgraduate courses.

• MSc Bioinformatics (BIOL60791)
• MSc Genomic Medicine (BIOL67562)
• MSc Investigative Ophthalmology & Vision Science (OPTO70322)
• MSc Clinical Applications of Neurosensory Science (HCDI60080).

He also regularly delivers formal teaching sessions outside the University of Manchester including lectures and workshops to medical and doctoral students at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.