William H. Merigan

William H. Merigan, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of Rochester with joint appointments in the Department of Ophthalmology (SMD), Department of Brain/Cognitive Sciences, and the Center for Visual Science. His research focuses on retinal ganglion cells' role in visual perception in primates, leveraging advanced imaging techniques like adaptive optics. He leads the Merigan Lab, part of the Advanced Retinal Imaging Alliance (ARIA), collaborating across disciplines to study retinal structure and function.

Education: PhD in Psychology (1975, University of Maryland), MS (1972), and BA (1967, Boston College). His work integrates neurobiology, optics, and clinical science to investigate primate vision mechanisms, including optogenetic therapy, retinal degeneration, and photoreceptor transplantation.

Research Interests: Retinal ganglion cell physiology, primate visual perception, adaptive optics imaging, retinal regeneration, and therapeutic interventions for vision loss. His lab pioneers techniques like in vivo calcium imaging and single-cell resolution imaging to study retinal activity and neural circuitry.

Publications Highlight Trends: Recent work emphasizes optogenetic therapy, foveal ganglion cell tuning, and cellular-resolution imaging of transplanted photoreceptors. Studies span from basic retinal physiology to translational applications in vision restoration.

Labs/Teams: Director of the Merigan Lab and a Principal Investigator in ARIA, fostering collaborations across the Flaum Eye Institute, Center for Visual Science, and Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester.