"I strongly believe that the multidisciplinary expertise convened by this center will propel us into a new era of autism research, enhancing our understanding of the condition and yielding critical new insights into its causes. This generous gift will be transformative for the field."

About the Center

The Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research, launched in 2019, brings together basic, translational, and clinical scientists committed to uncovering how core genetic, molecular, and neural circuit mechanisms are disrupted in autism. The groundbreaking research emerging from our collaborative efforts has led to significant discoveries that continue to shape the field. Our mission is to deepen global understanding and accelerate the development of effective therapies.

The Tan-Yang Center for Autism Research is led by Michael E. Greenberg, the Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.

We collaborate with the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT.

Our Researchers

The Tan-Yang Center leverages talent from different parts of the Harvard  community—uniting scientists at Harvard Medical School, the undergraduate campus in Cambridge and our affiliated hospitals—all of  whom have a deep knowledge of the biological basis of brain development and function.

Michael Greenberg, PhD

Director, Autism Center
Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School

Project: Role of chromatin regulators associated with autism mutations in activity-dependent circuit development

Chinfei Chen, MD, PhD

Professor of Neurology
Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Project: Functional Interrogation of Autism‐Related Mutations in Sensory‐Dependent Brain Development

Sandeep Robert Datta, MD, PhD

Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School

Project: Exploring Circuit and Behavioral Mechanisms Underlying Autism Spectrum Disorders

Samuel W. Morris University Professor
Harvard University

Project: Neural Control of Instinctive Social Drive in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Associate Professor of Neurology
Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Project: New Approaches to Dissect Neuronal Circuits Dynamics in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Assistant Professor
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Project: Sensory Experiences & Social Behavior

Bullard Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology
Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Project: Identification and Characterization of Select Mutations Linked to Autism