Our People
We have a wealth of experience across nine labs, combining expertise from a range of disciplines. If you are interested in discussing potential opportunities for study within our labs, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
![Walter Marcotti](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-03/Walter_option2.JPG.jpg?itok=Ms4a5Jez)
Marcotti
In the Marcotti lab, we study the development and function of the auditory system. Our research also aims to understand the mechanisms underpinning deafness and age-related hearing loss, and to develop therapeutic approaches to restore hearing.
![Mirna Mustapha lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-02/Mirna.jpeg.jpg?itok=GOYc6i3A)
Mustapha
In the Mustapha lab, we are investigating how loud noise and aging affect the survival of the nerve fibres that connect the ear with the brain.
![Anton Nikolaev lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-02/Anton.jpeg.jpg?itok=1290JTF2)
Nikolaev
In the Nikolaev lab, we are interested in understanding how auditory and visual information are combined and compared in the brain to allow animals to perform day-to-day tasks.
![Stuart Johnson lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-11/DSC_0352.JPG.jpg?itok=jraLJ6kJ)
Johnson
In the Johnson lab, we investigate how changes in mechanoelectrical transduction contribute to age-related hearing loss. We are also studying the potential link between deafness and dementia, and the interaction between loud noise and age-related hearing loss.
![Jing-Yi Jeng lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-02/Ginny.jpeg.jpg?itok=MNfo3MpN)
Jeng
In the Jeng lab we are investigating hair cell ageing and mechanisms underlying age-related hearing loss.
![Federico Ceriani lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-02/Federico.jpeg.jpg?itok=betDlNFK)
Ceriani
In the Ceriani lab we investigate age-related physiological changes in the non-sensory cells of the mammalian cochlea and their link to age-related hearing loss.
![Adam Carlton lab photo](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2022-02/Adam.jpeg.jpg?itok=xqYhKkcn)
Carlton
In the Carlton lab, we are studying how feedback from the brainstem modulates cochlear activity to fine-tune what we hear. We are also investigating how this feedback adapts during age-related hearing loss or changes in response to cochlear output.
![Katherine Wood](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2024-04/_DSC8409.JPG.jpg?itok=1b9Denb4)
Wood
In the Wood lab we study how populations of neurons form networks that support auditory perception and how these networks are affected by ageing.
![Marcelo Rivolta](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2019-06/Prof%20Marcelo%20Rivolta.jpg?h=876d17ce&itok=ShqQHqDx)
Rivolta
In the Rivolta lab, we are using stem cells to replace those that connect the ear with the brain. We are also exploring their potential use with cochlear implants.
![Laura Corns](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2019-06/laura%20reduced.jpg?h=c3a11be5&itok=8f1jJ2iW)
Corns
In the Corns lab, we want to understand how nerves from the brain communicate with sensory cells within the ear and how this communication changes with age.