People
We have a wealth of experience across seven labs, combining expertise from a range of disciplines. If you are interested in discussing potential opportunities for study within our labs, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
In the Marcotti lab, we use mammalian and zebrafish models to elucidate how the auditory system develops and functions.
Our research is also aimed at understanding the cause of deafness and age-related hearing loss and to develop therapeutic approaches to restore hearing.
Dr Federico Ceriani
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Calcium signalling in the developing auditory system
Dr Jing-Yi Jeng
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Ageing of mammalian cochlear hair cells
Piece Yen
PhD student
Development of the auditory circuitry
Anna Underhill
PhD student
Studying the role of Myo7a in mechanoelectrical transduction
Hubashia Gazanfar Rizvi
PhD student
Functional maturation of hair cells
Fanbo Kong
PhD student
Studying synaptic transmission at adult ribbon synapses
Ana E Amariutei
PhD student
Restoring hearing using gene-based therapy
Adam Calton
PhD student
Role of actin binding proteins in hair bundle function
Dr Francesca De Faveri
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Adaptive responses of afferent neurons in zebrafish lateral line
Samuel Webb
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Unravelling the roles of Myo7a in mechanoelectrical transduction
Andrew O’Connor
PhD student
Efferent re-innervation in the ageing mammalian cochlea
Laila Moushtaq-Kheradmandi
Research Technician
Past members
Maria Pakendorf
Laboratory technician
Managing Marcotti’s lab
In the Rivolta lab, we are using stem cells to replace those that connect the ear with the brain. We are also exploring their potential use with cochlear implants. This is because sensory cells in our ears are meant to last a lifetime; when they are lost we become permanently deaf.
Dr Daniela Cacciabue
Research Assistant
Associate University Teacher
Studying the differentiation of transplanted human otic progenitors in vivo
Dr Leila Abbas
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Studying transplanted human otic progenitors and their interaction with the host
Dr Ae-Ri Ji
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Exploring the differentiation of human otic progenitors in vitro
Matthew Farr
WT Clinical Research Fellow
PhD student
S Exploring the application of cell therapies for vestibular hypofunction
Kistina Mohamed
Developing in vitro models for the human inner ear
In the Nikolaev lab, we are interested in understanding how the auditory and visual information from the outside world are combined and compared in the brain to allow animals to perform day-to-day tasks, such as localisation of moving objects and social interaction.
Sandra Toledo-Rivera
PhD student
Learning and memory, In vivo brain imaging, behaviour, visual system processing
Elliot Birkett
PhD student
Integration on visual and olfactory information in the zebrafish brain
In the Mustapha lab, we are investigating how loud noise and aging affect the survival of the nerve fibres that connect the ear with the brain.
Understanding why these nerve fibres become vulnerable, will help us to develop a strategy to prevent hearing loss.
Dr Lara DeTomasi
Post-doc in Mustapha lab
Investigating the molecular and functional heterogeneity of the auditory neurons at the single cell level
Catherine Gennery
Research Technician
Dr Marta Milo
Lecturer in Computational Biology
Computational biology applied to the inner ear
In the Milo lab, we combine mathematics and basic biology to identify the mechanisms leading to deafness and different forms of hearing loss such as those occurring during ageing. The tools I develop help to define new lines of investigation in preventing and ameliorating deafness.
In the Johnson lab, we investigate how sound information in the ear are sent to the brain, so we can have an exact representation of the world around us. We are also interested in the understanding of the regenerative potentials of the mammalian auditory organ.
In the Corns lab, we want to understand how nerves from the brain communicate with sensory cells within the ear and how this communication changes with age.
Our overall aim is to determine whether this communication can be manipulated to protect our ears from age-related hearing loss.
