Bennett G Novitch

Bennett G. Novitch is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. His research focuses on neurodevelopmental mechanisms in health and disease, particularly through brain organoid models of neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental pathologies.

• Education: PhD in Biological Chemistry (Harvard), MMSc in Medical Sciences (Harvard Medical School), BS in Biological Sciences (University of Vermont), Postdoc in Biochemistry/Neurobiology (Columbia University)

His research spans neural progenitor regulation, spinal cord development, motor neuron specification, organoid modeling, and Hedgehog/Notch signaling. Current projects include NIH-funded initiatives on neurodevelopmental disorders and HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment.

Key publication trends show organoid modeling (15+ papers), neural progenitor regulation (12+ papers), spinal cord patterning (10+ papers), Hedgehog signaling (8+ papers), and transcriptional control (7+ papers). Notable collaborations include work with Samantha Butler, Ranmal Samarasinghe, and Kathrin Plath.

He holds multiple NIH grants including:

• R01NS089817 (2015-2021): Cortical Growth Regulation
• R01NS085227 (2015-2021): Respiratory Motor Neuron Development
• R01DA051897 (2020-2025): HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders
• R01MH130061 (2022-2026): Brain Organoid Neurodevelopment
• R01MH132651 (2023-2028): High-Throughput Neuropsychiatric Phenotyping

His lab investigates neural development mechanisms using human stem cell models, with particular emphasis on motor neuron specification, radial glia dynamics, and transcriptional regulators like Foxp1 and Prdm16.