Affiliation: Indiana University, School of Optometry and Vision Science Program

Dr. Catherine (Cathy) Cheng received her BS in bioengineering from University of California (UC), Berkeley and her PhD in bioengineering from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco. As a graduate student and post-doctoral research fellow at UC Berkeley, she studied various aspects of eye lens cell and molecular biology, including gap junction communication, protein chaperones, and cataractogenesis. She then moved to Scripps Research in La Jolla, CA and studied cytoskeletal networks in the lens and their roles in biomechanical properties of the lens as a staff scientist. Currently, Dr. Cheng is an Assistant Professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. The Cheng lab is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular changes that occur in the lens during normal aging vs. pathology and revealing the role of the Eph-ephrin bidirectional signaling pathway in maintaining lens transparency and homeostasis.