Robert Gellibolian, Ph.D.
Director, Technology and Project Development

As Director of Technology and Project Development, Robert Gellibolian, Ph.D., oversees the development and implementation of modern molecular and biochemical technologies that will help in understanding the etiology of disorders associated with deafness and hearing loss. He is principal and co-investigator on research studies focused on projects that involve archival temporal bones to identify genomic mutations associated with deafness and potential biomarkers of hearing loss. He and his colleagues at the temporal bone laboratory are hopeful that the results of such translational research – created by combining novel technologies of basic research with clinical and histopathological observations – will ultimately facilitate the diagnosis of hearing disorders and find immense utility in all the various facets of our healthcare.

Dr. Gellibolian has been conducting scientific research and performing and designing metrics for quantitative and qualitative analyses in biochemistry, enzymology, molecular and cellular biology for more than 10 years. He has a strong research background in both academic and commercial/biotechnology settings. As an accomplished scientist, Dr. Gellibolian is responsible for writing and editing a number of research grants for the EVP of research at the Institute and identifies and reviews patents for the Institute’s Cell and Molecular Biology Department. He is an inventor on several patents and has co-authored numerous book chapters and articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Gellibolian earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his Doctoral Degree in Biochemistry (with emphasis on Nucleic Acid Biochemistry & Biophysics) from Texas A&M University, Institute of Biosciences & Technology. During his graduate studies, Robert used biophysical techniques to elucidate the structural and functional characteristics of tri-nucleotides associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. He completed his post-doctoral research fellowship in Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics at the Salk Institute for biological Studies in La Jolla, California. An Armenian by heritage, Robert was born in Iran and has lived and worked in the U.S. for 23 years. He currently resides with his family in Calabasas, California.