Just in case you are thinking of something different in 2026, there are funded PhD opportunities currently being advertised at Ulster University for next academic year.

The application deadline is Friday 27 February 2026 at 4:00PM.

We are looking for curious, hard-working, and resilient graduates with a 2:1 or First-Class honours degree to help push back the frontiers of vision science and optometry with these exciting projects!

From Measurements to Management: Early Predictors and Biomarkers for Future Myopia in Pre-School Children, Supervisor: Dr Sara McCullough (sj.mccullough@ulster.ac.uk)

Hyperopia: shedding light on the ‘neglected’ refractive error of childhood to alleviate visual problems and maximise educational attainment, Supervisor: Professor Julie-Anne Little (ja.little@ulster.ac.uk)

 The Dark Side of the Myope: Investigating Scotopic visual function in Myopia, Supervisor: Dr Victoria Stapley (vs.stapley@ulster.ac.uk)

 Eyes on the Future: Establishing an Extended Evidence-base for Myopia Management, Supervisor: Professor Kathryn Saunders (kj.saunders@ulster.ac.uk)

More information can be found at https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd?query=optometry

If you are interested, get in touch with the named supervisor or another member of the team and or forward this onto anyone else who you think might be interested in interviewing for one of these posts or other research opportunities we may have in the future.