Maria Chahrour

Maria Chahrour is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, affiliated with the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, the Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, and the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. She leads the Chahrour Lab, which focuses on the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

• Bachelor of Science in Biology, American University of Beirut
• M.S. in Forensic Genetics, University of North Texas
• Ph.D. in Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
• Postdoctoral Fellow and Instructor, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital

Dr. Chahrour's research centers on identifying genetic causes of ASD through whole-exome and genome sequencing, forward genetics, and animal models. Her work explores transcriptional regulation, chromatin remodeling, and the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in neurodevelopment. She aims to map disrupted molecular pathways to inform diagnostic biomarkers and targeted therapies.

Her recent publications (2022–2023) highlight a strong focus on global genetic diversity in ASD, community engagement in genomics, and the use of advanced sequencing to identify both coding and noncoding variants. Earlier works (2016–2020) emphasize gene discovery (e.g., KDM5A, UBE3B), animal modeling, and the role of epigenetic and ubiquitin-related mechanisms in neurodevelopmental conditions.

Dr. Chahrour has not been mentioned as receiving specific scientific awards in the provided text, but her extensive publication record in top-tier journals reflects significant scholarly impact.

She actively mentors graduate students and researchers, including Lauretta El-Hayek, Shayal Vashisth, and others. Her lab has secured research funding to support studies in ASD genetics, though specific grants are not listed. The Chahrour Lab is involved in international research collaborations and enrolls participants globally for genetic studies of ASD.

The lab leverages cutting-edge genomic technologies and maintains a collaborative environment with members specializing in wet-lab biology, computational analysis, and neurogenetics. It is part of UTSW’s broader neuroscience and genetics research ecosystem, including the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.