Assistant Professor, Biology
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Maryland
M.S., Genetics, George Washington University
B.A., Biology, Gallaudet University

Dr. Merritt's research focuses on molecular biology and genetics of deafness in humans and other vertebrates. The motivation for his research work lies in deaf community’s need to better understand scientific views on deaf etiologies such as deaf-related proteins and genes that play critical roles in morphology and function of mammalian inner ear hair cells. In collaboration with National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Merritt and his students use rodents, frogs, and other vertebrates as model organisms to study human hearing and deafness.

Dr. Merritt and his mother were undergraduate students at Gallaudet during the same time period. During a summer break, Dr. Merritt motorcycled across the U.S. earning him the nickname, "Motorcycle Man" from fellow students.

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