Prominent Stem Cell Scientist to Relocate to UCSB from Britain

Coffey will direct UCSB’s Center for the Study of Macular Degeneration, and will also work with the university’s Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering. Both centers are part of UCSB’s Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI). In addition, Coffey will be a member of the university’s Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He has already been involved in UCSB’s stem cell research as a visiting researcher.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) provided a grant to recruit Coffey, who is currently the director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, an initiative launched several years ago by the University College of London (UCL).

“I appreciate being part of a thriving community backed by CIRM, which now allows opportunities that until now were not possible,” said Coffey. “To work with the UC Santa Barbara group – the stem cell and macular degeneration centers – is truly exciting.”