Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
I am deeply interested in why some people are more susceptible to developing certain neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders (NPDs) than others, and how those mechanistic differences can also lead to discrepancies in treatment response. I find it intriguing how there is so much genetic overlap and so many diagnostic comorbidities between NPDs (e.g., ID, ASD, ADHD), but the molecular mechanisms underlying disordered behavior remain elusive. Thus, my long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator, addressing these elusive mechanistic questions with single-cell transcriptomics and other approaches to better inform patient care for NPDs.