Guoping Feng

Biosketch

Guoping Feng, PhD is the Poitras Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. He currently is the Associate Director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Director of Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT. He is also an Institute Member and Director of Model Systems and Neurobiology of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His research is focused on mechanisms regulating the development and function of synapses and their dysfunction in brain disorders. Dr. Feng obtained his medical training at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China and his PhD in molecular genetics at State University of New York at Buffalo with Lida Hall. After his postdoctoral training with Josh Sanes at Washington University at St. Louis, he joined faculty in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine in 2000. He joined MIT and Broad Institute in 2010. Dr. Feng has received many honors for his scientific research, including Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Beckman Young Investigator Award, Gill Young Investigator Award, McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award, McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award, Scientific Innovations Award of Brain Research Foundation. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Research Interests

Dr. Feng’s research is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating the development and function of synapses and circuits, which are the building blocks of neuron-neuron communications. His lab develops and applies cutting-edge technologies to reveal how synapse and circuit dysfunctions lead to abnormal brain functions and behaviors in brain disorders, and to explore novel strategies for developing effective therapeutics. In particular, his lab discovered molecular mechanisms critical for the development and function of synapses in the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuits. Using animal models, his lab further demonstrated that dysfunction of these synapses and circuits plays an important role in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD. These discoveries led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and approaches.