David G Amaral

David G. Amaral is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. His research is centered on the neurobiological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on brain development, neuroanatomy, and translational neuroscience. He leads major initiatives such as the Autism Phenome Project and Autism BrainNet, fostering collaboration across institutions and disciplines.

His research interests span autism neurobiology, neurodevelopment, brain imaging, genomics, and primate models of neurodevelopmental disorders. He investigates early brain overgrowth, amygdala development, cortical structure, sex differences, and metabolic and immune contributions to ASD. His work integrates human studies with nonhuman primate models to bridge basic science and clinical understanding.

The most recent publications highlight trends in longitudinal neuroimaging of ASD, sex differences in brain development, maternal immune activation, genetic and metabolic biomarkers, and comparative neuroanatomy. His team frequently employs advanced MRI, transcriptomics, and stereological methods to uncover mechanisms of atypical brain development.

Dr. Amaral is actively involved in scientific leadership and editorial roles, contributing to journals such as Autism Research. He is a key member of large-scale consortia including SPARK and the Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics (PING) Study, which have advanced population-level understanding of brain development.

He mentors a broad network of researchers and collaborates extensively with scientists across neuroscience, psychiatry, immunology, and genetics. His laboratory and research teams are embedded within the UC Davis MIND Institute, a leading center for neurodevelopmental disorders research.