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BIOGRAPHY

Samantha is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in medical retina disorders. After graduating from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, she completed ophthalmology training in the Oxford deanery. This was followed by two prestigious sub-specialist fellowships in medical retina, in Oxford and at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. 

Samantha was awarded a Wellcome Trust fellowship to undertake doctoral research in the Nuffield laboratory of Ophthalmology under the mentorship of Professors Robert MacLaren and Mark Hankins, to investigate optogenetic strategies to restore vision in end-stage inherited retinal degenerations. This led to high impact publications including a first author publication in PNAS and several awards. Samantha has given numerous invited lectures, is Treasurer of the renowned Oxford Ophthalmological Congress and sits on the executive committee of Women in Vision UK, promoting the role of women in ophthalmology and visual sciences, and was also profiled in an article on gene therapy careers in Nature. 

PRIZES/ AWARDS

  • Royal College of Ophthalmologists/ Fight for Sight award (2018)
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (2016)
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford (2016)
  • Royal Society of Medicine/ Wesleyan trainee of the year (2014)
  • Oxford Ophthalmological congress Founder's cup (2014)
  • Dermot Pierse prize in Ophthalmology, Royal Society of Medicine (2014)
  • Wellcome Trust clinical research training fellowship (2010)
  • Harcourt medal (highest mark MRCOphth part 3), Royal College of Ophthalmologists (2008)
  • Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (2006)
  • Proxime Accessit (joint 2nd place final BM examination), University of Oxford (2003)
  • BMBCh, University of Oxford (2003)
  • BA (Neuroscience), 1st class, University of Cambridge (2000)
  • College Prize & Rolleston scholarship, St John's College, University of Cambridge (1998,1999, 2000)

Samantha de Silva

MA (Cantab) BMBCh MRCP FRCOphth DPhil

Consultant Ophthalmologist

  • Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Nuffield laboratory of Ophthalmology
  • Visiting fellow, Kellogg College, Oxford

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Samantha is based at the Oxford Eye Hospital and Nuffield laboratory of Ophthalmology. She leads research focusing on using real world clinical data and large scale biomedical databases (such as the UK Biobank) to interrogate genotype-phenotype correlations and disease mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and inherited retinal diseases. Her work also uses clinical datasets to assess optimal treatment delivery and response in common retinal diseases such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusions. 

TEAM MEMBERS

- Ahmed Shalaby, DPhil student 2020-2025 (Balliol College)

- Grace Borchert, DPhil student, Ramsay Scholar and Clarendon Scholar (Keble College)

- Yasmin Bakr, DM student (Wolfson College)

- Ariel Ong, Ophthalmology specialist trainee

- Yash Suribhatla, FHS student 2025-6 (St Edmund Hall) 

- Jeslyn Gonsalves, Academic special interest project student 2026 (Worcester College)

Previous group members:

- Saoud Al-Khuzaei, Post doctoral fellow and former DPhil student (2021-2025)

- Rhea Suribhatla, University of Oxford medical student 2024-5 (Oriel College)

- Michael Milad, University of Oxford medical student 2024-5 (Green Templeton College)

In the media

  • Oxford Eye Hospital: Wet Age-related macular degeneration patient information video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-IsoO2tj8M
  • NIHR Ask the Expert webinar: Age-related macular degeneration 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CMpYYcHOag
  • Retina UK "Ask the Expert Webinar" 2023: https://retinauk.org.uk/resource/webinar-ask-the-expert-with-samantha-de-silva/
  • 'SCIENCE-ISH' podcast HTTPS://AUDIOBOOM.COM/POSTS/7117309-BLINDNESS
  • BBC Radio Interview by 'The Naked Scientists': https://www.thenakedscientists.com/
    articles/interviews/gene-therapy-lets-blind-mice-see
  • https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/
    articles/10.1038/nj7502-651a

Collaborators

Funding

  • Wellcome Trust
  • Fight for Sight
  • Macular Society
  • NIHR Clinical research network