Wei Niu, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Toledo, where he established an independent research program focused on human brain development and the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. Her research integrates human pluripotent stem cell models, CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, three-dimensional human cortical organoids, high-content imaging, single-cell genomics, and electrophysiology to investigate how disease-associated genetic variants disrupt early human cortical development.
Dr. Niu’s research program has two primary areas of focus: (1) defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying PCDH19-clustering epilepsy, a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, and (2) determining how the autism risk gene POGZ regulates human cortical development, neural progenitor states, and excitatory and inhibitory neuronal lineage specification. Her laboratory has developed innovative human cortical organoid models, including the self-organizing single-rosette spheroid (SOSR) platform, to model early human cortical development and investigate disease mechanisms that cannot be fully recapitulated using conventional animal models.
Since joining the University of Toledo as a tenure track Assistant Professor in 2023, Dr. Niu has established the infrastructure and research environment necessary to support an independent human stem cell and brain organoid research program. Despite significant delays in laboratory renovation and research-space availability following her appointment, she has maintained scholarly productivity, established collaborations, secured extramural support, published and disseminated research findings, and developed a pipeline of studies aimed at future federal funding. Her scholarly work has contributed to a growing body of research on human neurodevelopment and genetic forms of autism and epilepsy.
Prior to joining the University of Toledo, Dr. Niu conducted research at the University of Michigan and Yale University and earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from The University of Texas at Austin. She has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications spanning cellular and molecular biology, genomics, stem cell biology, and neurodevelopmental research.
In addition to her research activities, Dr. Niu is committed to teaching, mentoring, and service. She has developed new undergraduate Neuroscience courses, incorporated primary scientific literature and experiential learning into her teaching, and mentors undergraduate and graduate students in her research laboratory. Through these activities, she seeks to prepare students to become independent critical thinkers and to pursue careers in science, medicine, research, and related fields. Her overall academic program integrates research, education, mentorship, and service to advance the understanding of human brain development and neurodevelopmental disease.
