Michael Wells

Assistant Professor, Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles

Originally from Columbus, OH, Michael F. Wells earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame in 2008, and a PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University in 2015 under the guidance of Dr. Guoping Feng. In 2021, he completed his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Kevin Eggan at Harvard University and the Broad Institute. His research focuses on discovering the foundations of human brain diversity and the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and intellectual disability. His work has been published in such high-impact journals as Nature, Cell, Neuron, and Cell Stem Cell, and has been funded by a F31 Predoctoral Fellowship, a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program award. Outside of the laboratory, Michael serves as the creator and co-director of the COVID-19 National Scientist Volunteer Database (covid19sci.org), which is a resource for health officials and decision-makers around the country looking to solve COVID-19-related problems. In addition, he is the Chair of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Trainee Advisory Committee and has previously participated in the SfN Early Career Policy Ambassador program.

Awards and Honors

  • 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.
  • Intersections Science Fellow, Yale University, 2021.
  • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, National Institute of Mental Health, 2019-2024.
  • Rising Stars in Biomedicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019.
  • Program for Achieving Career Excellence (PACE) Rising Star, Cornell University, 2020.

Publications