Robert E. Marc, Ph.D., director of research at the University of Utah's John A. Moran Eye Center, has been named by the International Society of Eye Research (ISER) as the recipient of the Houston, Texas-based Retina Research Foundation's 2014 Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research. The award recognizes lifetime achievement by a vision scientist who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of vitreoretinal diseases or disorders. The award will be presented during the ISER Biennial meeting in July, where Marc will deliver a plenary lecture titled "Mapping Retinal Cells and Networks."
"It is my very great pleasure to accept this award," said Marc. "As an ex-pat Texan/Houstonian, the honor is even sweeter. My indebtedness to my colleagues in the vision community grows all the time."
Marc is the distinguished professor of ophthalmology and holds the Calvin and JeNeal Hatch Presidential Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Utah. He joined the Moran Eye Center in 1993. His work has led to the development of computational molecular phenotyping and new probes of neuronal excitation. Using these techniques, he and Bryan Jones, Ph.D., provided comprehensive evidence for remodeling of the neural retina in retinal degenerations. Recently, fusing computational molecular phenotyping and electron microscopy allowed Marc, Jones, J.R. Anderson and J.S. Lauritzen to build the first 2 nm resolution retinal connectome. Marc's research has been funded by the NIH since 1978.
For a list of Marc's major contributions to vision science, 1975-present visit Retina Research Foundation
Learn more about the Marc Lab