Alicia Ebert

Alicia Ebert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Vermont (UVM), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on zebrafish eye development, specifically mechanisms governing tissue cohesion during morphogenesis and FGF signaling in retinal vasculature and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival. She holds a PhD from Colorado State University (2008) and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary (2008–2012). Her work integrates molecular biology, developmental biology, and neuroscience to uncover novel roles of signaling molecules like semaphorins and FGFs.

Education:

• PhD, Colorado State University, 2008
• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, 2008–2012
• Research Assistant, University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, 2001–2002
• Research Assistant, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Neuroscience, 2002–2003

Research Interests: Alicia’s work explores two key areas of eye development: (1) the molecular mechanisms maintaining tissue cohesion during eye migration and morphogenesis, with a focus on semaphorins and plexins, and (2) FGF signaling’s role in retinal vascular patterning and RGC survival. She investigates how FGF8a and FGFRs regulate retinal vascularization, linking vascular health to neural cell survival.

Grants & Funding:

• Funded by US National Science Foundation grant IOS1456846

Labs/Teams: Her research is conducted within the UVM Department of Biology’s developmental and molecular biology research groups, leveraging zebrafish as a model system for in vivo studies.