Research Interview – Ivan Nisted Wins Two Awards

In his research project, Ivan measured the effect of filter lenses for patients with wet AMD – an eye disease that primarily affects elderly people. He investigated whether the orange filter lenses provided to patients actually work and improve vision.

This type of research is an example of how research can improve quality of life and create value for both individuals and society. At the same time, it is a good example of the practice-oriented and application-focused research conducted at business academies.

When We Research, We Rely on Each Other Constantly

Ivan is very aware that to succeed in his research, he depends on collaborating with others. And “the other” in this case is Associate Professor Marianne Ledet Maagaard. Together, they have worked as a duo on research projects for several years:

“We have different backgrounds and different strengths, and maybe that’s why we complement each other so well. Because when we research, we constantly use each other to exchange ideas, ask questions, and handle practical matters. We also share frustrations when things don’t go as planned and progress stalls,” say Ivan and Marianne, explaining further about their collaboration:

“When we work as closely as we do, it also matters that we get along well socially. It’s wonderful to have someone to celebrate with when things go well, and it’s comforting to have someone to lean on when things aren’t going so well.”

The World’s Smallest Research Environment

Everything starts small. And when it comes to research in the Bachelor’s Program in Optometry, it has been a process that began on a very small scale and has now grown to become nationally and internationally recognized.

The first step was taken when Dania Academy (then Technical College) decided to prioritize research and allocate funds to it. The decision was made with the understanding that there should be room to try, fail, and try again. But it’s one thing to say you want to do research, and another to actually do it – and succeed.

So small steps were taken at first. How do you create evidence for your research? And who can help guide you through the processes? But the world’s smallest research environment found its footing, partly through collaborations with universities. It also required hard work and perseverance, and it is that perseverance that has developed into research that is now both current and recognized in many circles.

Research That Makes a Difference – Not Just in Theory, but in Everyday Life

Vision is absolutely crucial for maintaining a normal everyday life, both professionally and socially. This means that research in optometry receives significant attention, even though it is a field with a wide range:

“It is very motivating to research something that can make a difference and help people in difficult situations. And that applies whether we are helping children get rid of headaches or researching eye diseases that can potentially cause blindness,” Ivan and Marianne emphasize.

One of the key points of practice-oriented research is that it can make a difference – not just in theory, but in everyday life:

“Most people can relate to the fact that losing your sight is a major handicap. That’s why there is great interest in research in our field. It’s because the research can actually help change people’s life situations,” Ivan and Marianne assert.

We Research to Provide Students with the Latest Knowledge

Both Ivan and Marianne conduct research in areas they also teach in the Optometry Program. They spend about one-third of their time on research and the remaining two-thirds on teaching and other responsibilities as associate professors. The research greatly contributes to developing both the program and the students, who constantly have the opportunity to work with the latest knowledge in their field:

“One of the most important tasks with our research is to develop the program, develop the students, and ensure that students are equipped with the latest knowledge. We can feel that we can engage students in a new way when we involve our own research. It makes a difference to them that it’s our own research, and not just a researcher they don’t know, that we refer to in our teaching. In this way, research becomes accessible to them, and they understand it better,” Ivan and Marianne point out.

In fact, Ivan and Marianne have concretely used students to collect data at a local school for a project, where the students subsequently worked on analyzing the collected data. And when students are involved in the research processes, it is much easier to get them interested.

There Are Both Setbacks and Victories

The communication aspect is an essential part of being a researcher. There is significant legitimacy in having your research published in recognized journals. There are none of these in Denmark, so when Ivan and Marianne write research articles, it is for international journals:

“The very first article we sent to a journal was promptly and directly rejected. And even though it was tough that they didn’t accept the article, we learned a lot from it. We had to learn to communicate our research in a way that was relevant to journals and at the same time explained what we were researching,” say Ivan and Marianne.

Among journals, there is an explicit hierarchy. The higher up in the hierarchy, the harder it is to get an article accepted, but the greater the ‘impact’ of the articles that are accepted. In fact, Ivan and Marianne have also experienced that an article they submitted to one journal was sent higher up in the hierarchy:

“At one point, we sent a research article to a journal, which came back to us and said: ‘This article is so good that it should go higher up in the hierarchy.’ That was, of course, a huge victory and a great motivation in our work – and it’s always wonderful when we can celebrate a victory together,” Ivan and Marianne conclude.