Dr. Carol Mason

Biography

Carol Mason is a Professor at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, specializing in Pathology, Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmic Science. She serves as the Co-Director of the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior. Her research focuses on axon guidance and visual pathways, particularly analyzing behaviors and cellular interactions that influence retinal axon growth. Mason's work has identified crucial molecular programs, including transcription factors and guidance receptors, that regulate cell identity and projection pathways across the optic chiasm. Currently, she investigates transcriptional regulators of guidance mechanisms for contralateral projections and the interactions between growth cones and cells at the chiasm midline. Her research also addresses gene expression programs that direct retinal axon decussation at the optic chiasm, focusing on their relevance to the formation of connections with target areas such as the lateral geniculate nucleus. Furthermore, she studies the implications of albinism, which affects retinal pathway formation in both humans and rodents, delving into how factors in the melanogenic pathway impact retinal patterning and ganglion cell specification.

Research Interests