Benjamin Sivyer

Dr. Benjamin Sivyer is a leading researcher in visual neuroscience specializing in retinal circuitry and neuronal dysfunction, particularly in the context of glaucoma. He directs the Sivyer Lab and serves as principal investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects focused on understanding how eye diseases disrupt normal retinal processing.

His research interests center on visual neuroscience, neural circuits, electrophysiology, and glaucoma. Dr. Sivyer employs an integrative approach combining multielectrode array systems, patch-clamp recordings, high-resolution confocal microscopy, behavioral studies, and transcriptomic analyses to investigate visual processing mechanisms in both healthy and diseased retinas. His work particularly focuses on how axon injury and diseases like glaucoma disturb normal retinal function.

Dr. Sivyer's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding retinal ganglion cells, direction selectivity mechanisms, and glaucoma-related neurodegeneration. His recent work (2023-2025) shows increasing focus on molecular and spatial analysis techniques, neuroprotection in glaucoma, and advanced imaging methods for studying retinal structure and function. His research bridges fundamental neuroscience with clinical applications in ophthalmology.

His scientific achievements include the NHMRC CJ Martin Biomedical Research Fellowship awarded in 2015. His current research is supported by multiple NIH grants including:

• NIH NEI 1R01EY034973 (2023-28)
• NIH NEI 1R01EY032564 (2022-27)
• NIH NEI 2R01 EY027202 (2022-26)
• NIH NEI U24EY033269 (2021-26)
• NIH NEI R01 EY030429 (2020-25)

Dr. Sivyer's lab employs advanced techniques for visualizing and recording from retinal neurons to understand disease mechanisms. His research group investigates how retinal circuits process visual information and how these circuits are perturbed by disease, with particular emphasis on glaucoma as a model of retinal ganglion cell degeneration.