Dr Gauri Shrestha
Casual Academic
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), UNSW Sydney, Australia, 2022
Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), 2021
Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Public Health, UNSW Sydney Australia, 2021
Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), 2020
Master of Optometry (M.Optom), Bharati Vidyapeeth University, India, 2007
Bachelor of Optometry (B.Optom), Institute of Medicine, Nepal, 2002
Medicine & Health
School of Optometry and Vision Science
Associate Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney
Gauri was awarded his PhD from the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia for his research on the characterisation of tear metabolite expression in bacterial keratitis with a highly prestigious scientia PhD scholarship.
Gauri is an academic and clinical scientist, with experience in the higher education industry and hospital optometry practice. Gauri has expertise in clinical and laboratory research, particularly in tear metabolomics, cell culture and a wide range of anterior and posterior segment eye diseases, including cornea, glaucoma, keratoconus, and diabetic retinopathy.
Gauri has a research interest in investigating tear metabolite biomarkers associated with microbial keratitis and gene expression – immunometabolite association analysis in dry eye disease.
E-mail
Location
Rupert Myers Building (M15), Southern Dr, UNSW, Kensington NSW 2052
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2021 - The PluS Alliance Seed Collaborative Grant, UNSW Sydney, Australia (Co-investigator)
2016 - The Small Research Development and Innovation Grant, University Grants Commission, Nepal (PI)
2013 – Research Fellowship, World Council of Optometry and World Optometry Foundation, USA (PI)
2009 - The University Research Grant, Institute of Medicine, Nepal (Co-investigator)
2022 The AAO 2022 Student Travel Award, San Diago, USA
The ISCLR 2022 Student grant, Porto, Portugal
HDR Completion Scholarship, UNSW Sydney, Australia
2021 UNSW Medicine and Health Support Scholarship, UNSW Sydney, Australia
International Travel Grant, ARVO 2021 Annual Meeting (virtual)
2020 Conference Registration Support, Gordon Research Conference, Italy
2018-2022 The Scientia PhD Scholarship, UNSW Sydney, Australia
2005, 2011, 2013 Travel Grants, Asia Pacific Council of Optometry, Japan, Singapore and S. Korea, respectively
2012 Travel Grant, Advancing Optometry Worldwide, World Council of Optometry, USA
Cornea
This research focuses on the identification of tear metabolite biomarkers in microbial keratitis and mapping the disease pathway to understand the pathogenesis of microbial keratitis. Microbial keratitis is the fifth leading cause of blindness worldwide. Determination of the association between bacterial virulence characteristics, host immune responses measured by inflammatory mediators and expression of metabolites may uncover the key regulatory networks associated with microbial keratitis, which may serve as useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
Dry eye disease (DED)
Dry eye disease is a multi-factorial ocular surface disease, which develops as a result of the breakdown of immune homeostasis at the ocular surface. This research aims to identify the antigens involved with the up-regulation of certain inflammatory markers which are responsible for mediating severe inflammation in DED. This study includes a gene expression – immunometabolite association analysis particularly focusing on tear steroid and lipid metabolites to identify the antigens modulating the immune response for DED pathogenesis.
My Teaching
2022 Associate Lecturer (Course: OPTM3133, OPTM2133)
2018 – 2022 Teaching Fellowships, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney
(Course: OPTM7302, S1-2018; VISN1101, S2-2018; VISN1111, T2-2019; OPTM6423 T3-2020 and 2021)
2014 – 2018 Optometry Program Coordinator, Institute of Medicine, Nepal
2007 – 2018 Teaching assistant (2007 – 2013) and Lecturer (2013 – 2018), Institute of Medicine, Nepal