Research Associate, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Entity: Aga Khan University

Location: Karachi

Introduction

The Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, international university committed to global standards of excellence. It is a unique hybrid: an institution of academic excellence that is also an agent for social development. A leading centre of medical, nursing and teacher education, and education in social sciences, humanities and the arts, research and public service in the developing world. The University prepares men and women to lead change in societies and to thrive in the global economy.

As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.

The Department is a newly formed vibrant identity for ophthalmology at AKU poised to deliver subspecialized and multidisciplinary services integrated with an enabling environment that supports outstanding teaching/learning, research, partnerships, and leadership development.

Current Faculty work closely with a team of over 40 specialized medical staff, nurses, optometrists, technicians, technologists and others to offer comprehensive eye care for adults and children. These include but are not limited to surgery for cataract, corneal transplant, retinal disorders, glaucoma, orbital and facial reconstruction, refractive, squint, and ophthalmic tumors. Most of these services are delivered through the outpatient consulting clinics and/or day care surgery.

We offer a collaborative environment for translational vision research that builds on inter-departmental strengths in molecular genetics of inherited retinal diseases, ocular oncology, retinopathy of prematurity, and early detection of childhood vision problems.A major priority is to strengthen this environment and promote high quality research including clinical trials.

Job Role / Responsibilities:

The research associate will be responsible for assisting Faculty under supervision of Senior Research Instructor in research endeavours including fostering an environment that promotes excellence in research trials, helping write research protocols/grants/research ethics applications, refining research tools, collecting and analysing data, coordinating communication between the research team and other stakeholders for data collection, preparing manuscripts for publications, and working closely with relevant University and Hospital research groups.

You will be responsible for:

·assisting the Sr. Research Instructor in planning, managing, and conducting the research project effectively

·proactively identifying and addressing challenges in research projects to prevent delays or quality issues

·supporting faculty, fellows and residents to carry out department research activities including ERC and manuscript submission, journal club activities, and presentations in coordination with the supervisor

·coordinating with other departments for grant approvals, ensuring timely of submission, and managing extramural grants uploads and tracking via the AKU PURE system

·recruiting study subjects and ensuring high-quality data collection from diverse sources such as patient records, ward, and clinic interactions

·collecting and maintaining quantitative and qualitative data for research purposes

·patient outcomes assessment at follow-ups and calling patients (if required) 

·Summarizing completed protocols and studies; writing protocols, scientific articles, abstracts, and manuscripts for publication and presentations.

·cleaning and preparing data for analysis; conducting both quantitative and qualitative data analysis

·performing high-quality systematic literature searches and assisting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses

·organizing and maintaining publication records for the department

·managing ERC submissions, including requesting extensions and addressing feedback as required

·arranging and maintaining detailed records of research meetings, field visits, and other departmental activities

·assisting in communicating research outputs and success stories for websites, donors, and funding agencies, as requested by the department

·any other task assigned by the department or supervisor.

Requirements

You should have: 

• A Graduate or post-graduate degree in a health-related field (preferably epidemiology and biostatistics or public health or statistics) from a well-reputed university
• at least two to three years of related work and comparable experience in a medical institute.
• at least two peer-reviewed publication in HEC recognized journal.
• understanding of research methodology (range of quantitative and qualitative techniques) and experience interacting with research ethics committee
• ability to do systematic reviews and synthesize evidence.
• proficiency in MS Office, SPSS, or STATA, and familiarity with reference management software like EndNote.
• Basic research and good interpersonal skills, particularly communication skills in English & Urdu.
• exceptional time management and organizational skills to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
• ability to build positive working relationships with team members, supervisors, and external collaborators.
• strong alignment with the department’s vision of advancing ophthalmology and visual sciences through high-quality research and teamwork.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.