Jennifer Hocking

Dr. Jennifer Hocking is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Alberta with a focus on the Division of Anatomy. Her research investigates the development and maintenance of photoreceptor morphology, particularly how outer segments in retinal cells are formed and sustained through mechanisms like actin cytoskeleton dynamics and neural activity regulation. She utilizes zebrafish as a model organism due to their vision-dependent behavior and genetic tractability.

Current projects in her lab include studying the role of the actin cytoskeleton in outer segment stabilization and exploring how light-mediated neural activity affects photoreceptor morphology. Her team has developed zebrafish models for human diseases such as Cone Rod Dystrophy with Supernormal Rod Response (CDSR) caused by KCNV2 mutations. Publications highlight her work on photoreceptor morphogenesis, developmental eye disorders, and cellular dynamics in the nervous system.

Laboratory members include graduate students Karen Attie and Maria Sharkova, as well as undergraduate student Ifrah Anjum. Her research bridges structural biology, genetics, and neuroscience to uncover fundamental mechanisms underlying retinal health and disease.