Research Associate, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Entity: Aga Khan University

Location: Karachi

Introduction

Aga Khan University, chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private international university, is committed to the provision of education, research and health care of international standard relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital has well-equipped investigative services and provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities.

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 significant emphasis is placed on diabetes-related research, including the development of care pathways for diabetic eye disease, evaluation of diabetes health registries, establishment of center of excellence, and studying the impact of diabetes on ocular health.

Job Role / Responsibilities:

We are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Research Associate to join our department. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Sr. Instructor (Research) to support the development of innovative care pathways, clinical trials, establish a Center of Excellence for diabetes care, diabetic eye related research, and contribute to the creation and management of diabetes registries. This role is critical to advancing research and improving outcomes for patients with diabetes-related ocular conditions.

You will be responsible for:

• assisting in designing, implementing, and evaluating care pathways for diabetes and other eye conditions
• conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses to ensure evidence-based approaches in care pathway development
• collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to align care pathways with organizational goals and patient needs
• assisting in research projects involving diabetes and other eye diseases, ensuring accurate data entry, management, and research analysis
• collecting and maintaining quantitative and qualitative data from diverse sources, including patient records, clinical interactions, and focus groups
• preparing data for analysis, conducting both quantitative and qualitative data evaluations
• summarizing completed protocols and studies, including writing protocols, scientific articles, abstracts, and manuscripts for publication and presentations
• managing ethical review committee (ERC) submissions, including requesting extensions and addressing feedback
• supporting the establishment of a Center of Excellence for diabetes care, focusing on integrating advanced research and clinical practices
• contributing to drafting operational protocols, guidelines, and key documentation for the Center
• arranging and maintaining detailed records of research meetings, field visits, and other departmental activities
• working closely with clinicians, researchers, and stakeholders to align project objectives and deliverables
• any other tasks assigned by the department or supervisor to meet research and operational goals.

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.