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.”
