Associate professor Rachael Niederer

Ending 2025 on a high, Dr Rachael Niederer was appointed associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Auckland (UoA).

A senior lecturer with the Department of Ophthalmology since 2019, A/Prof Niederer completed her PhD at UoA in 2008 and her fellowship training in uveitis and medical retina at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London from 2015–2016. Combining clinical practice at Greenlane Clinical Centre and Auckland Eye with research, A/Prof Niederer is the author of 90 peer-reviewed publications and has been the recipient of several awards, including the KG Howsam Medal for excellence in ophthalmology, the Vice-Chancellor's Best-Doctoral Thesis award and the Sir William MacKenzie prize in ophthalmology.

A/Prof Niederer said she felt incredibly grateful learning of the promotion. “Academic careers are a lot of hard slog and so much of what we do flies under the radar. It was lovely to get this acknowledgement of all the hard work and something great to celebrate at the end of the year.”

Combining clinical work with research was something A/Prof Niederer knew she wanted to do from the outset. “Coming through medical school, I was fortunate enough to have outstanding role models in both Professors Charles McGhee and Helen Danesh-Meyer. It showed me that it was possible and valuable to combine clinical work, research and teaching. I could see how much joy they got out of their research interests and how the work they did was able to help a wider group than just the patient in front of them.”

The mix also creates a valuable feedback loop, she said. “The questions I ask come straight from patient care and the answers feed back into how I practice. It keeps both sides of my work life growing and learning.”

Next, A/Prof Niederer will continue to build momentum within two current studies. “One is an HRC-funded prospective study looking at the role of vitamin D in reducing uveitis recurrence. The other, funded by Vision Research Foundation and AHREF [Auckland Hospitals Research and Endowment Fund], is a prospective study examining cognitive impairment following herpes zoster ophthalmicus.”

Another huge focus will be supervision, she added. “I’m incredibly lucky to be working with outstanding PhD students, including [Dr] Natalie Allen, Esmeralda Tam, Linh Do and Qiuyuan Wan, who joins us in February, as well as two excellent uveitis fellows, two medical retina fellows and some fantastic junior doctors and optometrists. We also have some exciting international collaborations emerging with teams in the UK, the US, Australia and Israel.”

This promotion has really reinforced the value of mentorship and collaboration, she concluded. “I have been so lucky in all the support I have been given along the way and I’m passionate about getting out there and supporting trainees and early-career researchers. It is so satisfying watching their careers blossom and grow.”