BHI Plenary Speakers
Selecting and inviting BHI Plenary Speakers
Neurodevelopment FAWG
The Neurodevelopment Focus Area Working Group (ND-FAWG) at the BHI brings together faculty and trainees across Rutgers to advance research on how the brain develops—from basic science on early development to clinical studies. The ND FAWG focuses on a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, intellectual disabilities, schizophrenia, Rett syndrome, and brain malformations. The FAWG fosters collaboration among scientists and clinicians to drive innovative, multidisciplinary research and share new ideas.
Mission
The goal of our neurodevelopment working group is to promote synergistic collaboration across the various scientific disciplines at Rutgers, thereby enabling our interdisciplinary research teams to address important and impactful research challenges that would be difficult or impossible to tackle by single investigators or disciplines.
The investigators in this group have expertise in typical child development and a variety of developmental disorders, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual developmental disorder, and specific learning disorders like dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Our members use a variety of scientific methods, including animal models of behavior (e.g., rodents, fish); EEG and neuroimaging techniques; molecular, biochemical and pharmacological probes; and clinical trials with humans to study typical and atypical development.
Our members come from various Rutgers campuses, schools, and departments and include scientists with expertise in a variety of disciplines, such as neuroscience, genetics, cell biology, psychology, behavior analysis, and others. Together, they focus on advancing our understanding of human development and use that knowledge to improve outcomes for all children, but with an emphasis on those affected by developmental disorders.
Activities
Ongoing activities include:
Trainee Travel Grants
Awarding travel grants to trainees
Collaborative Initiatives
Developing new partnerships and projects
Seed Grants
Promoting interdisciplinary research
Annual Conference
Focusing on autism and related disorders
Chair and Co-Chair
Maria Chiara Manzini, PhD
Chair of Neurodevelopment FAWG
Associate Professor, RBHS-RWJMS, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Jennifer Gladys Mulle, PhD
Vice-Chair of Neurodevelopment FAWG
Professor, RBHS-RWJMS, Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
