Virginia Calder

Professor Virginia Calder is a leading academic in ocular immunology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (University College London). With over 25 years of experience, she has held progressive roles from Lecturer (1997-2012) to her current Professorship (since 2019). She serves as Graduate Tutor (since 2007) and former Deputy Director (Education) (2016-2018), mentoring over 35 MSc/PhD students and supervising 50+ undergraduate projects.

• PhD, University of London (1986)
• BSc (Honours), University of Glasgow (1982)

Her research focuses on immune mechanisms in chronic inflammatory eye diseases, particularly TH1, TH2, Treg, and TH17 cell subsets. She investigates therapeutic strategies targeting specific pathways like leukotriene inhibition (YP-P10/GW559090) and mTOR regulation (Rapamycin) in experimental uveitis and allergic conjunctivitis models to reduce steroid dependence.

Recent publications demonstrate her work on retinal inflammation, T-cell trafficking, and non-invasive drug delivery through 15+ articles in 2021-2025. Her team explores genetic polymorphisms in Acanthamoeba Keratitis and develops targeted therapies for uveitis and ocular allergies.

• Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

As MSc Programme Lead and FRCOphth course coordinator, she bridges clinical education with cutting-edge research. Her lab at the Institute of Ophthalmology collaborates on international projects, including the MS-OPT Trial examining neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis patients.