Associate Professor Alice Pébay, Ph.D., is a Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and the principal investigator of the Neuroregeneration Unit at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and has extensive expertise in cell biology, having published more than 50 peer reviewed articles and chapters in the field of stem cell biology and lysophospholipid biology. Dr Pébay's current research focuses on the mechanisms that enable human pluripotent stem cells to maintain their pluripotency and allow them differentiate towards specific retinal lineages. Dr Pébay also has comprehensive experience in neurotrauma research and a strong interest in the cellular mechanisms involved in the genetic disease, Friedreich Ataxia.
Dr. Raymond CB Wong, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and the principal investigator of the Cellular Reprogramming Unit at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. Heis a stem cell biologist specialising in human pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming. He completed his Ph.D. in stem cell biology (Monash University) and overseas postdoctoral training in University of California Irvine and subsequently National Institutes of Health. His previous research in the past 13 years has led to improvement in methods of growing and generating human pluripotent stem cells. Dr. Wong's current research focuses on developing methods to turn human pluripotent stem cells into retinal cells, as well as utilizing human stem cells to model and study pathological progression of various retinal diseases to improve treatment options.