Dr Vinod Maseedupally
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Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2019
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PhD in Optometry - University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2013
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Bachelor of Science in Optometry - Bausch & Lomb School of Optometry, (Birla Institute of Technology & Science – Pilani), India, 2005
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Diploma in Ophthalmic Techniques - LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Federation of Ophthalmic and Eye Research Centres, India,1999
Bio
Dr Vinod Maseedupally is a Senior Lecturer (Education Focused) in the School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS) at UNSW Sydney. An optometrist and educator with more than 20 years of experience in clinical education and research, he coordinates contact lens education across Stages 4 and 5 of the Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Clinical Optometry program.
Vinod's educational interests include technology-enhanced learning, clinical communication, simulation, assessment and feedback, curriculum design, and authentic clinical education. His approach to teaching emphasises the application of knowledge in clinically meaningful contexts and the purposeful use of educational technologies to prepare students for patient-centred clinical practice.
Through a UNSW Nexus Fellowship 2025-26, Vinod has led several strategic educational initiatives at SOVS. A major focus of this work has been the planning and implementation of Programmatic Assessment for Learning across the final two years of the optometry program, supporting a more longitudinal and integrated approach to assessment, feedback and student development. His Nexus projects have also included the use of AI-enabled virtual patients to enhance clinical communication skills and implementation of the RISR platform for digital delivery and assessment of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).
Vinod has also coordinated Work Integrated Learning for Vision Science students, strengthening connections between academic learning, workplace experience and graduate capabilities. Technology-enhanced education has been a longstanding feature of his teaching. His educational initiatives have included personalised virtual clinical-case assessments, interactive digital learning resources, and the development of ASSET (A Shared SOVS Educational Trove), a repository of more than 300 anonymised clinical cases designed to support authentic case-based learning across the optometry curriculum.
His contributions to education have been recognised through the 2020 UNSW Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, the Faculty of Medicine & Health Award for Teaching Excellence, and the 2025 SOVS Academic Excellence Award in Education. His broader educational leadership has included undergraduate and postgraduate Program Authority roles, mentoring academics and higher degree research students, and contributing to university-wide initiatives in assessment, feedback and academic development.
Vinod completed his optometry training at L V Prasad Eye Institute and the Bausch and Lomb School of Optometry in Hyderabad, India, before undertaking his PhD at UNSW. He was awarded his PhD in 2013 for research investigating corneal changes associated with orthokeratology. Prior to his academic career at UNSW, he worked at L V Prasad Eye Institute as an optometrist and contributed to clinical education and research.
Alongside his educational scholarship, Vinod maintains research interests in contact lenses, orthokeratology, myopia management, anterior eye topography and corneal reshaping. He has published in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to international collaborative initiatives in contact lens research and education, including the British Contact Lens Association's Contact Lens Evidence-Based Academic Reports (BCLA CLEAR).
Vinod is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the British Contact Lens Association and maintains active engagement with professional and educational organisations in optometry and contact lens practice.
His current educational scholarship brings together his clinical expertise and educational leadership, with a particular interest in how authentic learning, technology, simulation, contemporary assessment approaches and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence can enhance the preparation of future optometrists for clinical practice.
Professional affiliations
- Member, Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) – International Association for Health Professions Education, 2026–present
- Member, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), 2025–present
- Fellow, Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), 2018–present
- Fellow, British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA) , 2015–present
- Fellow, American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), 2015–present
- Fellow, International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE), 2000–2010; Member only 2000–present
- Member, Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia (CCLSA), 2010–present
- Member, Orthokeratology Society of Oceania (OSO), 2009–present
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
- 2023 – Industry-supported Research Fund – Co-Investigator; investigation of orthokeratology lens spoilage. $52,000 AUD
- 2022 – UNSW Education Focused School Fund – Project Lead; development of ASSET (A Shared SOVS Educational Trove) and interactive clinical learning resources. $50,000 AUD
- 2021 – UNSW Education Focused Fellowship – Team member; assessment and feedback scholarship and resource development. ~$10,000 AUD teaching relief
- 2020 – UNSW Research Infrastructure Scheme – Co-applicant; research equipment and infrastructure. $110,000 AUD
- 2020 – SOVS COVID-19 Project Grant – Co-investigator; student engagement research. $5,000 AUD
- 2019 – UNSW Faculty of Science International Seed Funding – Lead Applicant; development of international education partnerships with optometry institutions in Asia. $12,000 AUD
- 2018 – International Research Contract – Co-Investigator; contact lens/orthokeratology research. $231,836 AUD total project funding ($77,278 apportioned)
- 2017 – Industry-supported Research Fund – Co-Investigator; investigation of novel orthokeratology contact lens designs. $200,000 AUD ($83,799 apportioned)
- 2016 – UNSW Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Initiative (MREII) – Main Applicant; research equipment grant. $33,250 AUD
- 2015 – UNSW Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Initiative (MREII) – Co-applicant; research equipment grant. $95,000 AUD
- Academic Excellence Award in Education, School of Optometry & Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, 2025
- Global Impact Award, School of Optometry & Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, 2023
- UNSW Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning 2021
- UNSW Medicine & Health Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence 2021
- Dorothy Carlborg CCLSA Research Award 2020
- Best Outgoing Student Award upon completion of BS Optometry, from Bausch & Lomb School of Optometry, LVPEI; 2005
- Award for Excellence for the years studied, employed and for the academic achievements between 1996 & 2005 at LVPEI; 2005
- Best Optometrist Fellow Award, LVPEI; 2000
- N. Rex Ghormley student travel Award, American Academy of Optometry (AAO), 2013
- Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia Research Awards 2012 and 2013
Research Goals
Vinod's research and scholarship span clinical optometry and health professions education.
His clinical research interests include contact lenses, orthokeratology, anterior eye topography and corneal shape. His work has particularly focused on understanding corneal shape the changes induced by orthokeratology, including their implications for refractive outcomes and myopia control.
His education research and scholarship focus on Programmatic Assessment for Learning, assessment and feedback, technology-enhanced learning, clinical communication, simulation, artificial intelligence in education, Work Integrated Learning, and student engagement and experience. A major current focus is the implementation of Programmatic Assessment for Learning across the final two years of the optometry program and the use of emerging technologies to support authentic clinical learning and assessment.
Vinod also contributes to research capacity building through student supervision. He has supervised two PhD candidates and one MPhil candidate to completion, as well as numerous final-year optometry research projects. His HDR supervision has included anterior eye shape assessment, AI approaches for early detection of eye disease, and computational/programming approaches supporting myopia-control research.
Research Groups
Research Topics
- Orthokeratology
- Anterior eye topography
- Technology in teaching
- Student engagement and experience
- Assessment and Feedback in tertiary teaching
My Research Supervision
- MPhil project titled Optimising visualisation of fluorescein dye (2023)
My Teaching
I teach clinical skills and contact lenses to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Courses
- OPTM6400
- OPTM6411
- OPTM6422
- OPTM7104
- OPTM7205
See my complete teaching profile here.