Daniel Geschwind

Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D., is the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics and Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He serves as the founding Director of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) and Co-Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, with additional appointments in the Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity, the Brain Research Institute, and multiple Graduate Ph.D. Program Home Areas (Bioinformatics, Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Genetics & Genomics, Workforce Development).

Education & Training: While specific degree-granting institutions are not listed in the provided text, Dr Geschwind holds both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and completed clinical and research training that led to board certification in neurology and human genetics.

Research Focus: Geschwind’s laboratory integrates large-scale human genetics, functional genomics, single-cell transcriptomics, and systems biology to understand the genetic architecture of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Major themes include:

• Autism spectrum disorders and related neurodevelopmental conditions
• Frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Alzheimer disease
• Gene-regulatory networks controlling neuronal identity and synaptic function
• Multi-omics biomarker discovery for early diagnosis and therapeutic targeting

Grant Support & Leadership: He has served as Principal Investigator on numerous NIH MERIT, Autism Centers of Excellence, and foundation awards, including the Paul G. Allen Foundation Distinguished Investigator Award. His leadership roles span the UCLA ATLAS Community Health Initiative, international genetics consortia (e.g., ALLFTD, iPSYCH, PsychENCODE), and advisory boards for the National Academy of Medicine.

Scientific Awards:

• 2022 Rhoda & Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, National Academy of Medicine
• 2022 Cotzias Lecture & Award, American Academy of Neurology
• 2021 Gold Medal, Society of Biological Psychiatry
• 2015 Paul G. Allen Foundation Distinguished Investigator Award
• 2006–2015 NIMH MERIT Award
• Election to the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Physicians

Laboratory & Teams: The Geschwind Laboratory is housed at 695 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095. The group comprises post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, computational biologists, and clinical research coordinators working at the intersection of genomics, neuroscience, and precision medicine.