Carol Ann Mason is a distinguished neuroscientist and Professor at Columbia University, holding appointments in Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is a faculty member of the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute where she serves as Chair of Interschool Planning, and has established herself as a world authority on visual system development. Dr. Mason earned her undergraduate degree from Chatham College in 1967 and completed her Ph.D. in zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, where her dissertation focused on arthropod neurons and neurosecretory pathways. She has served in significant leadership roles including as President of the Society for Neuroscience from 2013-2014 and continues to shape the direction of neuroscience research through Carol Ann Mason has served on the scientific advisory board of the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Munich; recent independent sources confirm ongoing or recent affiliation, but current official rosters should be consulted for up-to-date status. and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
Dr. Mason's groundbreaking research has revealed critical molecular signals that guide the differentiation and proper wiring of retinal ganglion cells during the formation of binocular vision circuits. Her pioneering work with the albino visual system, where pigment deficiency leads to disrupted retinal development, has provided profound insights into the mechanisms underlying normal vision development and the establishment of neural pathways. This research has direct implications for developing therapies to repair damaged neurons in conditions causing vision loss, as her investigations into axon guidance in visual pathways illuminate how the retina connects to the brain. Her discoveries about the communication between retinal cells and adjacent pigmented cells have fundamentally advanced our understanding of how visual circuits are established during embryonic development.
All of Dr. Mason's work is driven by the visionary goal of recreating developmental processes to repair damaged neurons in adults, with the ultimate aim of restoring vision to the blind. She is currently advancing research on how gene activity transforms stem cells into retinal ganglion cells, knowledge that could enable transplantation therapies for vision restoration. Additionally, she investigates approaches to revert mature retinal ganglion cells to a more youthful, stem cell-like state to facilitate regrowth of damaged optic nerves, embodying the translational potential of developmental neuroscience. As Carol Ann Mason is Co-Director of the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University. and director of the Vision Sciences Training Program, she continues to mentor the next generation of neuroscientists while maintaining her position at the forefront of visual system research, with her work serving as a critical bridge between developmental biology and therapeutic applications for vision restoration.
