A Ghanaian optometrist and currently a PhD candidate at the University of Houston, Randolph Jeffrey Kwaw, has been awarded the prestigious Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) award.

The GIAR program, established in 1922, supports undergraduate and graduate students by promoting close mentorship, hands-on learning, and scientific excellence.

The highly competitive award provides $2,500 cash prize to support innovative research efforts and promoting scientific works to make meaningful impact on the society.

This achievement highlights Dr. Kwaw’s growing academic and scientific impact within Vision research.

The grant will support his doctoral research which is investigating the use of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a pharmacological agent, as a potential treatment for amblyopia – otherwise known as lazy eye.

In addition to the Sigma Xi GIAR award, Dr. Kwaw is a two-time recipient of the Outstanding Poster Award for Member-in-Training in Strabismus/Amblyopia and Neuro-Ophthalmology at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Conference.

He was conferred both honors consecutively in 2024 and 2025.

Dr. Kwaw also boasts of other tremendous academic feats including the Student Vision Research Support Grant, the Ann Iac Tran Scholarship, and awards from the Minnie and Roseann Turner Fund for Impaired Vision.

“These accomplishments collectively underscore my strong commitment to advancing vision science and translational research with the potential to improve clinical care for visual disorders,” Dr. Kwaw said in an interview with Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe.