The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
Natela Shanidze is an experienced neuroscientist with a comprehensive academic background and extensive research experience in both academic and clinical settings. Currently serving as a Scientist at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute since April 2014, Natela has held roles including Associate Scientist and Postdoctoral Fellow. Previous positions include teaching Human Learning & Cognition Lab at California State University-East Bay, conducting research on deafness in transgenic mouse models at Stanford University, and facilitating graduate student discussions at Stanford. Educational qualifications include a PhD and MS in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, alongside dual Bachelor's degrees in Physics and Psychology from the University of Chicago. Research expertise encompasses kinematic data analysis, experimental design, patient recruitment, and algorithm development, showcased in various roles across prestigious institutions.
The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, a nonprofit independent research institute, is located in Pacific Heights in San Francisco. Dedicated to research on human vision, it was founded to encourage a productive collaboration between the medical clinic and the scientific laboratory. Smith-Kettlewell conducts research on many different topics, but its main interests are: * Clinical studies which relate directly to the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and disorders. * The development of devices and vocational programs to aid the partially sighted, blind and hearing impaired - the major focus of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center (RERC). * Basic research to understand how the eye and brain work, providing a fundamental background for both the clinical and rehabilitation programs.