Dr. Zhang completed her graduate training in the University of California San Francisco Neuroscience Ph.D. Program and postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University prior to joining faculty as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. She is a recipient of the National Institute of Health Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), and brings an expertise in isolating and growing glia cells from patient brains in a dish. With support from her Friends Scholar Award, she will be able to study how autism-risk genes change the activities of glia cells, the interactions between glia cells and neurons, and gene expression in the brain. This line of research is designed to identify cellular and molecular changes in autistic brains and contribute to building a comprehensive understanding of the etiology of autism spectrum disorder.