Dr. Richard Lee

Dr. Richard Lee is the Clinical Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), having joined in December 2023. He is an ophthalmologist and scientist whose research spans from laboratory studies to clinical trials, primarily focusing on immunology, inflammatory eye diseases, and immune therapies. His work includes groundbreaking discoveries, such as identifying bacteria within the eye and finding a potential antibiotic treatment for a genetic blinding condition, with implications for other sight-threatening diseases like age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. Lee has broad experience overseeing experimental medicine studies, including first-in-human gene and cell therapies. Alongside this research, he has led regional and national specialist clinical services for patients with uveitis, providing advanced care for this complex inflammatory condition. His work is notable for fostering institutional partnerships and multidisciplinary collaboration to solve underlying problems in vision science.

In addition to his clinical and research leadership, Dr. Lee has executive-level experience managing large research teams and portfolios extending into data science and artificial intelligence. He contributes to the global vision community by serving on committees for eye research organizations and supporting medical charities, including as a Trustee of Sight Research UK.