Personal Statement
Dr. Farah Akthar is a Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscientist whose work focuses on the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying visual and neurological disease. Her teaching and research integrate principles from ophthalmology, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical health sciences to advance understanding of both normal and pathological visual function.

She teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including the MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, and leads the Clinical & Cognitive Neuropsychology of Vision (PSYC329) module, where students are trained to interpret neuropsychological syndromes, visual system pathology, and brain–behaviour relationships through clinical cases and contemporary research. Dr. Akthar also oversees assessment for Brain and Cognition (Year 1) and Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience (Year 2) and supervises an extensive range of BSc and MSc research projects focused on visual disease, cognition, and neural health.

Within the Institute of Population Health, Dr. Akthar serves as the Early Career Academic Lead and as the Department’s Open Day and Recruitment Lead, shaping clinical-facing education and contributing to departmental strategy.
Dr. Akthar is an active member of the Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab Group and the VISION Lab Group at the University of Liverpool. Her research examines the neural and behavioural consequences of eye disease, with a focus on age-related macular degeneration, central scotoma, and degenerative visual disorders. Her work bridges laboratory-based neuroscience with applied clinical research, contributing to the development of innovative rehabilitation and assistive technologies for individuals with central vision loss. She maintains interdisciplinary collaborations in ophthalmology, ageing, and COVID-19–related cognitive impairment, reflecting a broad commitment to translational health research.

In addition to her research and teaching roles, Dr. Akthar contributes to academic governance as a member of the Curriculum Board and as a trained Ethics Reviewer, supporting high standards in clinical and research practice.
Her academic interests encompass clinical and cognitive neuroscience, neuro-ophthalmology, visual perception, neuropsychological disorders, and age-related brain and eye diseases, including dementia, stroke, retinal degeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Akthar is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and has received multiple awards and nominations recognising her excellence in teaching, mentorship, and research, including:

• Elaine Funnell Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience (2018) – Royal Holloway, University of London
• Best Feedback Provider Award – University of Liverpool (student-voted)
• Lecturer of the Year Nominee (2024, 2025) – University of Liverpool
• Best Feedback Provider Nominee (2024) – University of Liverpool
• Most Dedicated Member of Staff Nominee (2025) – University of Liverpool
• Academic Advisor of the Year Nominee (2025) – University of Liverpool

Dr Akthar was awarded the Faculty Participatory Research Grant 2025
She is also a Co-Investigator on the David Foster Wicks Grant, contributing to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of visual health, perception, and built environments.

Research Overview
Portfolio of clinically oriented research publications covering visual disease mechanisms, treatment and rehabilitation, neural plasticity, and neuro-ophthalmic disorders.


A comparison of reading in people with simulated and actual central vision loss, with static text, horizontally-scrolling text and rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). Akthar, Farah; Harvey, Hannah; Subramanian, Ahalya ; Liversedge, Simon ; Walker, Robin.
In: Journal of Vision, 20.09.2021.

Reductions in primary visual cortex volume in patients receiving long-term treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Open Access: Rachel Woodall; Farah Akthar; Richard P. Gale; Andre Gouws; Martin Scott; Edward Silson; Kerry Bell;Mason Wells; Aaron Wright; Sophie Waterson; Heidi Baseler; Antony Morland

COVIDSurg Collaborative (including Akthar F), GlobalSurg Collaborative "SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Venous Thromboembolism After Surgery: An International Prospective Cohort Study" Journal of Anaesthesia 2021

COVIDSurg Collaborative (including Akthar F), GlobalSurg Collaborative "Effects of Pre-Operative Isolation on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Elective Surgery: An International Prospective Cohort Study" Journal of Anaesthesia 2021

COVIDSurg Collaborative (including Akthar F), GlobalSurg Collaborative "SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Modelling for Safe Surgery to Save Lives: Data from An International Prospective Cohort Study " British Journal of Surgery 2021 Mar 24; 1–8.

COVIDSurg Collaborative (including Akthar F), GlobalSurg Collaborative "Timing of Surgery Following SARS-Cov-2 Infection: An International Prospective Cohort Study" Journal of Anaesthesia 2021 Mar 9.

Makin, A. D. J., & Akthar, F. (2025). Aesthetic Preference for Glass Patterns is Predicted by Known Activations of the Extrastriate Visual cortex. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 0(0).

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Akthar, F. & Walker, R. (Under review, 2024). Perceptual learning with scrolling text improves reading comprehension in participants with macular degeneration.