Professor Qinmei Wang and Professor Ahmed Elsheikh.
Dr Riaz Akhtar writes following the Ocular and Biomaterials Biomechanics Group, School of Engineering’s visit to Wenzhou Medical University.
“We have recently travelled to Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) in China to establish new research collaborations and strengthen existing ones.
A number of major projects are planned, focussing on areas such as refractive surgery, myopia and keratoconus. The collaboration should lead to a number of student exchanges in the future and research grants at both institutions.”
WMU is a leading ophthalmology research centre in China and is recognised internationally for innovations in optometry and ophthalmology education and research. The Eye Hospital, WMU is amongst the top five in China.
Wenzhou itself is a harbour city of three million people in Zhejiang province, in the south west of the country. It has many surrounding areas of natural beauty including beautiful mountains, coastal and riverside views not far from the city.
The exchanges between the universities have already helped to foster high quality research through joining Liverpool expertise in biomechanics with clinical expertise at WMU. We collaborated on, for example, the development of a new method for measuring the surface topography of the eye.
Researchers from the Ocular and Biomaterials Biomechanics Group, including Dr Riaz Akhtar (third from left), and Wenzhou Medical University staff at BoiLuZhuo Park, Wenzhou.
Our current visit, hosted by Dr Fangjun Bao, marked the start of a formal research partnership between WMU and Liverpool. We gave research seminars highlighting the breadth of the research in ocular biomechanics conducted by our group.
The partnership was formalised following the signing of a collaborative research agreement by our Head of School, Professor Ahmed Elsheikh and Professor Qinmei Wang, Executive Dean of School of Optometry & Ophthalmology, Vice Dean of Eye Hospital, WMU.
The aim of the research agreement is to work jointly on some important projects to address current problems in ophthalmology clinical practice.”
