Anila D'Mello

Dr. Anila D'Mello is an Assistant Professor and Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and O'Donnell Brain Institute. She also serves as faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research integrates cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, and developmental psychology to investigate cerebro-cerebellar circuits underlying language and cognition in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. She leads the D'Mello Lab, which employs neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and behavioral experiments to explore these mechanisms.

Dr. D'Mello holds a BA in Psychology from Georgetown University, a PhD in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience from American University, and postdoctoral training at MIT's McGovern Institute. Her work emphasizes cerebellar contributions to autism, with a focus on circuits impacting language and social cognition. Notable contributions include studies on cerebellar connectivity in autism and translational research on tDCS for aphasia.

Her research publications (2015–2025) span cerebellar networks, autism symptom correlates, and developmental neuroimaging. Recent trends highlight cerebellar integration into language frameworks and gender representation gaps in autism research. Awards include the Jon Heighten Autism Research Scholarship. She collaborates across institutions, bridging clinical and basic neuroscience to advance understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions.