Neil Smalheiser

Neil Smalheiser is a Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago, with dual expertise in neuroscience and medical informatics. He directs two laboratories: one focused on small RNAs in brain function and disease, and another dedicated to informatics tools for hypothesis generation and data analysis.

His research spans RNA biology, synaptic plasticity, pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, and text mining. Smalheiser has developed innovative tools like Anne O'Tate and Arrowsmith for biomedical literature analysis and leads NIH-funded projects on data synthesis and systematic reviews.

Recent work explores exosomal RNA transfer, microRNA regulation, and automated indexing of scientific articles. He was named an ACMI Fellow (2023) and holds multiple NIH grants for medical informatics research. Smalheiser's lab investigates how RNA molecules influence synaptic plasticity and mental health, while advancing computational methods for evidence synthesis.

Scientific Awards:

• ACMI Fellow (2023)
• NIH R01 Grants (2016–2020, 2023)
• NIH NIA P01 AG039347 Grant (2017–2018)
• Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (2021)