Dr. Wei Niu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toledo. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Dr. Niu completed her postdoctoral training in genomics at Yale University.

Her research focuses on early human brain development and the genetic mechanisms underlying autism and other neurological disorders. She integrates CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, human pluripotent stem cells, and three-dimensional brain organoid models to investigate disease pathogenesis. The long-term goal of her research is to identify mechanism-based therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.

Dr. Niu’s work has resulted in senior- and corresponding-author publications and preprints advancing human cortical organoid methodologies and disease modeling, including studies published in Stem Cell Reports (cover article), Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, and STAR Protocols. As a dedicated educator, she employs interactive and nontraditional teaching approaches in courses such as Cell Biology of Neurons and Glia and Biological Literature and Communication. She has mentored undergraduate and Ph.D. students in neuroscience who have received institutional and national recognition, including research fellowships, conference awards, and scholarship nominations.