Profs Charles McGhee, Department of Ophthalmology head, Ilva Rupenthal, Warwick Bagg, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences dean, and Colin Green.

The University of Auckland’s (UoA’s) Department of Ophthalmology is celebrating several recent promotions: Associate Professor Ilva Rupenthal to professor, Dr Jie Zhang to associate professor, Dr Lola Mugisho Odunayo to senior research fellow (level 6) and Dr Sanjay Marasini to senior research fellow (level 1). Dr Mugisho was also honoured with the 2024 Early Career Research Excellence Award, while Drs Marasini and Priyanka Agarwal both received Health Research Council (HRC) emerging researcher in ophthalmology grants.

Professor Ilva Rupenthal

Prof Rupenthal began her career in medicine by completing a Bachelor of Pharmacy at the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. She subsequently spent part of her pre-registration training as a pharmacist at UoA before completing a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences with the School of Pharmacy. Prof Rupenthal was appointed as the inaugural director of the Buchanan Ocular Therapeutics Unit (BOTU), established within the Department of Ophthalmology to focus on translational research and novel drugs and delivery systems for the management of inflammatory eye conditions. Currently deputy head of that department, her many awards include the Butland Award for Excellence in Research Supervision (2021) and the Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers (2021), which reaffirmed close ties with her homeland and a research collaboration with the University of Cologne.

“It has certainly been an interesting, and sometimes very challenging, ride from studying pharmacy in Germany to becoming a professor in ophthalmology in New Zealand and I cannot thank my supervisors, mentors, colleagues, family and friends enough for supporting me and being part of this journey. Special thanks go to the Buchanan Charitable Foundation – Drs Caroline and Trevor Gray – for enabling the establishment of the BOTU and Professors Charles McGhee and Colin Green for all their support over the years.

“Being promoted to professor is an acknowledgement of the excellent work the BOTU team has been doing over the past decade. While it does not really change what I do on a day-to-day basis, I’m hoping to strengthen my international collaborations over the coming years,” she said.

Associate Professor Jie Zhang

A/Prof Zhang is a translational vision scientist who is using her background in biomedical sciences to devise treatments for ophthalmic conditions. Her research focuses on corneal regeneration using scaffolds and cells, anterior segment reconstruction, plus interests in the relationship between connexin43 channel function and retinal and optic nerve diseases, such as central retinal artery occlusion and glaucoma.

The promotion is a significant milestone in her career as a translational vision scientist, she said. “It recognises all the hard work I have put into ophthalmic research, especially in areas like corneal regeneration. With this new role, I will have more opportunities to lead within the university, expand my research and make a bigger impact in the field of ophthalmology.”

A/Prof Zhang has produced 45 publications, including 43 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters and three patents. She has secured more than $3 million in funding, of which $1.35 million was as a principal investigator, including three prestigious grants from the HRC and Royal Society. She was recently awarded the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship to support her transition-zone cell work for corneal endothelial regeneration.