2023 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar

Joel Jovanovic, PhD has been selected as the 2023 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar for his project, The role of microglia-mediated inflammation on the cell fate of proliferating Müller glia following p27Kip1 inactivation and outer retina degeneration in aged mice.
Dr. Jovanovic received a Master of Sciences in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bern, Switzerland, and went on to earn a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bern, Switzerland. Before becoming a Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA, he was a Research Assistant at Bern University Hospital, Switzerland.
Dr. Jovanovic’s current research is focused on how the Müller glia respond to disruptions in the interactions between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors with a focus on pushing the Müller glia into a regenerative program. For the project proposed, he will perform experiments to assess how Müller glia-specific inactivation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor gene p27Kip1 alters the gene expression profiles of these cells after laser-driven RPE injury combined with outer retina (photoreceptors) degeneration.
Dr. Jovanovic’s mentor, Dr. Edward Levine, states that “having worked with Dr. Jovanovic for over two years, he has demonstrated the intellect, drive, and competency to succeed with excellence in this ambitious research project and training plan. I have no doubt he will make a successful transition from postdoctoral fellow to principal investigator while making important discoveries in the fields of retinal degeneration and regeneration.”