People

Laboratory Personel

Lotfi B. Merabet, OD PhD MPH

Director

p: (617) 573-4130 email

Lotfi Merabet is an optometrist-scientist and a member of the research faculty in the Vision Rehabilitation Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. His research focuses on investigating how the brain adapts to the loss of sight and visual impairment. Dr. Merabet attended the University of Ottawa for his undergraduate degree in biology, followed by a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Montreal, doctorate in optometry from the New England College of Optometry, and masters degrees in Clinical Investigation from the HMS-MIT/HST program and in Public Health from Harvard. He has also completed two postdoctoral research fellowships in noninvasive brain stimulation (HMS/BIDMC) and neuroimaging (BU/MGH). He continues to lecture within the local blind community and serves on the Board of Trustees at the Carroll Center for the Blind and National Braille Press. He also works extensively with the Perkins School for the Blind and collaborates with the University of Milan, Italy.

	Corinna M. Bauer, PhD *Instructor of Ophthalmology* p: (617) 573-4072 email Corinna Bauer is a neuroscientist specializing in the analysis and interpretation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images of the brain in relationship to neural development and degeneration. She completed her master's degree in biomedical imaging and doctorate degree in anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine. Corinna also holds bachelor degrees in music and in physiology/psychology from the University of Western Ontario (London, ON Canada). Corinna's research focuses on the use of multimodal neuroimaging techniques to better elucidate the structural and functional changes that occur in individuals with cortical visual impairment. The novelty of this study is the utilization and combination of multiple imaging modalities to investigate how the brain has reorganized its structural and functional networks as a result of congenital damage to the occipital visual cortex compared to ocular blind and sighted individuals. The results of this study will help develop novel approaches for multimodal network analysis and contribute insights towards the development of rehabilitation and education plans for clinicians and educators to better serve individuals with CVI, which is the leading cause of congenital visual impairment in the USA.
	Christopher R. Bennett *Research Associate* p: (617) 807-7849 email Christopher Bennett specializes in blending research design, methods and analysis with collection of behavioral data through interactive technology. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Villanova University, before completing his doctorate degree in Spatial Information Science and Engineering from the University of Maine. Currently, Chris is working on integrating eye tracking, hand gestures, and electroencephalogram (EEG) into behavioral research involving individuals with cortical visual impairment (CVI). This work focuses on evaluating spatial searching and crowding for those with CVI as compared to sighted controls. The outcome of these studies contributes to novel technological applications, research design, and potential solutions for improving spatial searching for individuals with CVI. Zahide Pamir, PhD *Postdoctoral Fellow* email Zahide Pamir is a postdoctoral research fellow specializes in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and psychophysics. She received her BA degree in Psychology from Bilkent University and her MS degree in Cognitive Science from the Middle East Technical University. She completed her doctorate studies in Neuroscience at Bilkent University. Her graduate studies focused on the effect of context on the processing of low-level visual features. Before joining the Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Zahide completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Vision Rehabilitation Laboratory at the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear. Her current research focuses on understanding the functional and behavioral correlations of cerebral (cortical) visual impairment.
	Xin Zhang *Study Coordinator* p: (617) 523-7900 email Xin Zhang received her M.S. in Neuroscience from Brandeis University in 2019. After graudation she joined the Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity to help and support the children with cerebral visual impairment. Particularly, she is interested in the analysis and interpretation of brain imaging data (including Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Electroencephalogram). She enjoys working with complex data, seeking patterns and drawing conclusions from them. In her free time, Xin likes ballet dancing, dragon-boat rowing and hiking.
	Jacquelyn Cai *Summer Intern* email Jacquelyn is currently studying Neuroscience and Computer Science at Wellesley College. She joined the lab in the Summer of 2020 as an intern. She is interested in exploring eyetracking/neuroimaging and its various applications to aid children with cerebral visual impairment. In her free time, she enjoys playing squash, baking, and kickboxing.