Donna Werling
Position title: Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics
Email: dwerling@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-3113
Department:
Genetics
Education:
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of California-LA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Postdoctoral in Genomics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of California-SF, San Francisco, CA, USA
Research Description:
The primary focus of my laboratory is to identify etiological mechanisms for neurodevelopmental disorders, with a primary focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the roles of sex–differential biology and genetic variation in risk. Given the power of genome–wide analyses for unbiased discovery, we apply functional genomics, human genetics, and bioinformatics approaches to identify and characterize novel pathways and processes involved in disorder risk and sex–differential neurobiology. Supported by a BBRF Young Investigator Grant, my independent lab at UW–Madison is currently working to improve variant calling and accuracy of transcriptomic alignments to identify sex–differential eQTLs in developing brain. Supported by SFARI Bridge to Independence and Sex Differences Collaboration awards, we are also studying neurogenomic sex–by–genotype effects in mouse models of ASD risk genes, including the breeding, dissection, and functional genomics data generation from these mice.
Research Focus:
Genetic Variation, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Sex-Differential Biology, Functional Genomics