Ross Collery

Ross Collery, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Cell Biology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). He holds dual faculty appointments and leads the Collery Lab focused on retinal health, refractive error, and retinoid signaling. His research combines CRISPR/Cas9 editing, OCT imaging, and transgenic zebrafish models to study genetic causes of eye disorders.

Education: BA (Mod) Genetics (Trinity College Dublin, 2000), MSc Molecular Genetics (Trinity College Dublin, 2003), PhD Genetics (University College Dublin, 2008).

Research Interests: Investigates retinoid transport proteins (e.g., STRA6) in retinal degeneration, refractive error pathways, and genetic mechanisms linking eye development to vision disorders. Current projects explore how mutations in retinoid receptors cause conditions like Matthew-Wood syndrome.

Labs/Teams: Collery Lab at MCW Eye Institute, collaborating on NIH-funded studies (R21EY033558, R01EY034842) and grants from the E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation and Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin. Team includes PhD students Asher Boucher and Allison Hall, medical students Preston Lewis and Samantha Simpson, and research technologist Emily VanderPloeg.

Grants: Active NIH grants focus on retinoid signaling pathways and novel imaging techniques. Past work included studies on BMP signaling and LRP2 in eye development.