Michael Wells

Michael Wells is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. His research bridges neuroscience and genetics to study neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia, using stem cell-derived models, mouse genetics, and organoid systems.

• Key Research Areas: Neurodevelopmental disorders, Zika virus pathogenesis, and human genetic variation.
• Awards: Intersections Science Fellow (Yale, 2021), PACE Rising Star (Cornell, 2020), K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (NIMH, 2019-2024), Rising Stars in Biomedicine (MIT, 2019), Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment (2018-2021), F31 Predoctoral Fellowship (NIMH, 2012-2015).
• Laboratory: Wells Lab, dedicated to modeling neurodevelopmental diseases and exploring therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Wells' publications highlight his work on cortical GABAergic dysfunction in ASD, genetic susceptibility to Zika virus in neural progenitors, and mechanisms of attention deficits in Ptchd1-mutant mice. His recent studies investigate schizophrenia biomarkers, neurodevelopmental syndromes caused by gene variants, and bioprinting technologies for neural tissues.

Scientific Awards

• Intersections Science Fellow, Yale University, 2021
• Program for Achieving Career Excellence (PACE) Rising Star, Cornell University, 2020
• K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, National Institute of Mental Health, 2019-2024
• Rising Stars in Biomedicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019
• Postdoctoral Enrichment Program award, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, 2018-2021
• F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Mental Health, 2012-2015