Roni Hazim

Roni Hazim, PhD 
Postdoctoral Researcher

Biography

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Cell and Developmental biology at UC Irvine followed by a PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA. My scientific research interests lie in understanding the cell biology of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in health and disease. In particular, my work focuses on developing cell culture models of human RPE to investigate intracellular events, including the trafficking and processing of photoreceptor outer segment (POS)-derived phagosomes. Additionally, I am interested in establishing disease-in-a-dish models from human pluripotent stem cells to examine subcellular mechanisms contributing to RPE dysfunction and retinal degeneration. In my free time, I enjoy playing and watching sports (basketball and soccer), cooking, and reading.