Professor Mark Gillies is a medical retina specialist and clinician-scientist whose research spans laboratory discovery, clinical trials and real-world evidence. He is Director of the Macula Research Group and Director of clinical trial at the Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, and Head of the Medical Retina Clinic at Sydney Eye Hospital.

His research focuses on the mechanisms and treatment of retinal diseases, particularly age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and macular telangiectasia (MacTel). His laboratory investigates retinal cell biology and metabolism, increasingly using AI-driven multi-omic approaches to understand what makes the human macula biologically distinct and particularly vulnerable to degeneration. He aims to identify mechanisms of macular disease that can lead to new approaches to treatment and prevention.

Mark has published over 350 papers in clinical and laboratory science which are cited around 2,000 times per year. His clinical research program has conducted major trials of treatments for macular disease, while the Fight Retinal Blindness! Project has established an international platform for studying treatment outcomes in routine practice. He was also a founder of the international MacTel Project and Chief Investigator of one of the international trials that led to the registration of its first treatment, the Encelto implant.

Professor Tien Yin Wong is a physician-scientist-innovator and the Senior Vice-Chancellor of Tsinghua Medicine and Vice-Provost of Tsinghua University, China. He has worked and held senior leadership roles in Singapore and Australia, including at the National University of Singapore, SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore National Eye Centre, and University of Melbourne.

Prof Wong is a practicing retinal specialist, with a research portfolio on retinal diseases, ocular imaging, AI and digital technology. He has published >1,700 peer-reviewed papers (H-index >240, highly cited researcher 2020-2025), given >600 invited named, plenary and symposium lectures, and received >US$100 million in grant funding. Prof Wong has been recognized with multiple international awards, including Arnall Patz Medal (Macula Society), Jose Rizal Medal (Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology) and Friedenwald Award (ARVO). He has received Singapore’s President’s Science Award in 2010 and President’s Technology Award in 2014. He is an elected Member/Fellow of five national academies: the US National Academy of Medicine, the UK Royal Society, the Singapore National Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the US National Academy of Inventors.