Maja Bucan

Maja Bucan, PhD, is a Professor of Genetics and Co-Director of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on genetic dissection of complex behaviors in mice and humans, with expertise in functional genomics, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. She is affiliated with multiple graduate groups, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Genomics and Computational Biology, and Neuroscience.

Research Interests

Dr. Bucan investigates:

• Genetic basis of psychiatric disorders (autism, bipolar disorder)
• Role of circadian rhythms in mental health
• Functional annotation of mammalian genomes
• Behavioral mutations in mouse models
• Actigraphy studies for sleep/activity patterns

Recent Trends

Her latest work involves machine learning analysis of actigraphy data for sleep-mortality links, whole-genome sequencing in autism cohorts, and heritability studies of sleep-wake traits using twin data. Collaborations include the Center for Autism Research and iPSYCH Consortium.

Outreach

Dr. Bucan engages in educational outreach, partnering with Philadelphia high schools to teach sleep/activity studies through hands-on science projects.