Himal Kandel

Himal Kandel is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Save Sight Institute, affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. His work focuses on measuring and improving clinical and patient-reported outcomes in ophthalmology and optometry through initiatives like the Save Sight Keratoconus and Dry Eye Registries.

• Graduate in Optometry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2011)
• MSc in Public Health for Eye Care from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2013)
• PhD in Optometry from Flinders University, Australia (2018)

Kandel’s research spans corneal crosslinking, dry eye disease, and refractive error epidemiology, often leveraging clinical registries to analyze real-world outcomes. His recent work includes longitudinal studies on keratoconus treatment and global burden analyses for conditions like appendicitis and sickle cell disease.

Notable awards include the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence (2018), International Student of the Year (2018), and multiple ARVO travel grants. He has received competitive scholarships and grants from Flinders University and the Australian Government.

Kandel collaborates on translational research projects, including the FMH Bright Ideas Grant (2023) and federal funding for stem cell-based therapies in corneal diseases. His publications emphasize quality-of-life metrics and public health interventions in eye care.