University College London
Kelly joined Dr Marcela Lipovsek’s lab at the UCL Ear Institute in 2025 as an RNID-funded PhD student.
Kelly completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Hong Kong, then pursued an MRes in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Research at King’s College London.
Understanding the patterns of gene activity in nerve cells in the inner ear in different types of hearing loss
Read about Kelly’s research projectKelly’s approaches to hearing research
Hearing loss can profoundly affect communication, safety, and quality of life. Research has largely focused on replacing or regenerating hair cells in the inner ear, but the success of any treatment depends on presence of healthy nerve cells, called spiral ganglion neurons, to carry sound information into the brain.
My motivation comes from the desire to help people reconnect with sound; by exploring how these nerve cells respond in different types of hearing loss, I hope to contribute to developing more effective and personalised treatments.
I hope my research will provide the scientific community with a comprehensive dataset describing how spiral ganglion neurons change in different types of hearing loss. In the long term, I hope these findings will guide the discovery of new molecular targets that can preserve or restore the health of the auditory nerve.
The RNID studentship is a great honour and a source of encouragement. It allows me to pursue high quality and impactful research that directly addresses the challenges faced by people with hearing loss.
It motivates me to bridge basic scientific research and real-world benefit. Through this studentship, I can access the resources and community I need to develop as an independent scientist. I see this studentship as both recognition of my potential and a responsibility to carry out work that can ultimately improve lives.