Linda J. Richards

Linda J. Richards is the Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Edison Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She leads the Brain Development and Disorders Laboratory, focusing on understanding how brain circuits are formed during development and how these circuits mediate behavior, particularly studying interhemispheric connections of the mammalian brain.

Dr. Richards earned her Bachelor of Science Degree (Honours) from The University of Melbourne in 1990, followed by a Doctorate of Philosophy from the same institution between 1991-1994. Her educational background provided the foundation for her distinguished career in neuroscience research.

Dr. Richards' research primarily focuses on the development, plasticity, and function of long-range connections of the cerebral cortex, with particular emphasis on the corpus callosum - the largest fiber tract in the brain of placental mammals that connects neurons in each cortical hemisphere. Her laboratory investigates how cellular and molecular/genetic mechanisms regulate brain wiring during development and how brain wiring is altered in congenital corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD), which occurs in approximately 1 in 4,000 people. The lab examines the underlying causes of CCD, how long-range axonal plasticity occurs, and how these structural changes in brain wiring impact cognition and behavior.

Analysis of Dr. Richards' recent publications reveals a strong focus on corpus callosum development and disorders, neural connectivity, and the genetic underpinnings of brain wiring abnormalities. Her work spans multiple disciplines including developmental neuroscience, neurogenetics, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimaging, with particular attention to how structural brain abnormalities affect cognitive and behavioral outcomes. She frequently collaborates with international researchers through the International Research Consortium for the Corpus Callosum and Cerebral Connectivity (IRC5).

Dr. Richards has received numerous prestigious awards and honors throughout her career, including:

• Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia (2019) for "distinguished service to medical research and education in the field of developmental neurobiology, and to science and community engagement in science"
• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2016)
• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (2015)
• President of the Australasian Neuroscience Society (2017-2018)
• Nina Kondelos Prize from the Australasian Neuroscience Society (2010)
• Charles Judson Herrick Award from the American Association of Anatomists (2004)
• Krieg Cortical Kudos Discoverer Award (2020)

As an academic leader and mentor, Dr. Richards has supervised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through her laboratory at Washington University. She has secured substantial grant funding to support her research on brain development and disorders. Beyond her laboratory research, Dr. Richards is a passionate advocate for neuroscience, having contributed to establishing the International Brain Initiative, the Australian Brain Alliance, and the Australian Brain Bee Challenge. She serves as a board member of the International Brain Bee and is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

Dr. Richards leads the Brain Development and Disorders Laboratory, which conducts research on three main projects: activity-dependent mechanisms of early brain wiring, cellular and molecular mechanisms of early brain wiring (particularly studying nuclear factor one (Nfi) transcription factors), and human corpus callosum disorders. Her lab works in partnership with people who have corpus callosum disorders to understand how these conditions impact cognitive, social, and emotional function.