Rutgers Brain Health Institute Recruits World-Renowned Autism Expert
Sara Jane Webb, PhD, Appointed Director of Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education, & Services (RUCARES)
The Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) is excited to announce the recruitment of Sara Jane Webb, PhD, as Director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education, & Services (RUCARES). Dr. Webb succeeds inaugural Director Dr. Wayne Fisher and will join Rutgers in April 2027.
RUCARES is a pan-Rutgers center within the Brain Health Institute dedicated to coordinating and advancing autism research, education, and services across the university. The center includes the Severe Behavior Program (CSH-RUCARES) directed by Dr. Brian Greer; a one-of-a-kind research-informed clinical care program for children with severe behavior disorders.
Dr. Webb currently serves as Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle and is affiliated with the Center on Child Health, Behavior & Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience, including serving as Director of Autism Research at Seattle Children’s Autism Center, Associate Director and Clinical Translational Core Director of the NIH-funded P50 Center on Intellectual & Developmental Disability Research at the University of Washington, and Chair of the UW School of Medicine Council on Research and Graduate Education. Dr. Webb earned her BA in Psychology from Yale University and her PhD in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Institute on Human Development & Disability at the University of Washington.
She has also held scientific leadership roles in major scientific societies, federal agencies, and philanthropic organizations, including the International Society for Autism Research, the Autism Baby Siblings Research Consortium, the NIH Biomarkers Consortium, the Simons Foundation, the Eagles Autism Foundation, Aligning Research to Impact Autism network, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
A nationally recognized expert in autism diagnosis, and biomarker development, Dr. Webb has pioneered the identification of early neural and behavioral markers of autism. Her research integrates novel electrophysiology, eye-tracking, and longitudinal developmental methods to map trajectories from infancy through adulthood. Her influential work on social communication and face perception has shaped foundational paradigms for studying the developing social brain in autism. She has contributed to large multisite biomarker initiatives and novel drug clinical trials, and her research has informed early identification and intervention strategies. She also brings experience collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through the Biomarker Quantification Program.
Since beginning her independent research career, Dr. Webb has secured more than $28 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. She and collaborators have also received multi-million-dollar awards from private foundations, most recently a $17M award to join the ARIA IMPACT Network.
In her new role, Dr. Webb will lead efforts to expand RUCARES impact across research, education, and clinical services. She will advance the center’s mission by strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing translational research, supporting faculty development, and expanding externally funded research programs. Drawing on her deep expertise in diagnostic biomarkers and early intervention, she will help strengthen research-informed clinical services and support the development of innovative approaches to autism diagnosis and patient stratification. Her extensive experience with federal, state, and private partners, combined with a strong track record of successful grant writing and faculty mentoring, will further position Rutgers to recruit and train the next generation of autism researchers while advancing leadership in autism research and service delivery at the state and national levels.
About RUCARES
The Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education, & Services (RUCARES) is a pan-Rutgers center within the Rutgers Brain Health Institute dedicated to coordinating and fostering the growth of autism research, education, and services.
