Prof. Dr. Steven J. Fliesler is a SUNY Distinguished Professor, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor, and Vice-Chair and Director of Research in the Department of Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. He received his BA in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973 and obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from Rice University in 1980. His specialty and research focus are apoptosis and cell death, inherited metabolic disorders, metabolism, molecular and cellular biology, molecular basis of disease, neurobiology, transgenic organisms, and vision science.