Leanna M. Hernandez, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern California (USC) and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Hernandez completed her postdoctoral training in psychiatric genetics at UCLA’s Semel Institute. She directs a research laboratory examining the genetic and neurobiological etiology of autism, schizophrenia, and related psychiatric disorders. She is a member of UCLA’s Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, and the Brain Research Institute, and serves as Co-Director of the Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics Core for UCLA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.

Lauren is a postdoctoral fellow in the Hernandez Lab at UCLA. She earned bachelor's degrees in Neuroscience and Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, where she conducted research in psycholinguistics and natural language processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). While completing her PhD at UCLA she developed expertise in infant fMRI, applying these techniques to the study of early language development and the emergence of autism-related symptoms in early life. In the Hernandez lab, Lauren combines neuroimaging and genomics methods to investigate the early underpinnings of excitation-inhibition balance and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism. In her free time, she enjoys acrobatic training, cooking, and gardening.

Leonardo joined the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA as a postdoctoral fellow in the Hernandez Lab in 2025. Leonardo’s current research focus lies in applying bioinformatic tools to integrate genetic, multi-omic and neuroimaging data with the aim to translate genetic risk into the clinical, brain functional, and transcriptomic heterogenous architecture of psychiatric disorders. His goal is to better understand the molecular underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders. After earning his Ph.D. in April of 2024 in Applied Neuroscience in the Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience at the University of Bari, Leonardo spent one and half year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, where he focused on translating genetic risk for psychiatric disorders in molecular, brain functional and clinical phenotypes under the guidance of Dr. Daniel R. Weinberger and Dr. Giulio Pergola.

Emily earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA, where she utilized EEG to study sleep regulatory mechanisms in mouse models. Currently, as a 3rd year doctoral student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology program at UCLA, she is interested in leveraging neuroimaging (e.g. fMRI) and genetic approaches to examine how early sleep disruption in infancy may impact brain and behavioral development.

Hoki is a Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program (NSIDP) at UCLA. Her research combines behavioral experiments, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to study the neural mechanisms underlying higher-order cognitive processes in healthy and clinical populations. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, M.Res. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University College London, and M.Comp. in Artificial Intelligence from the National University of Singapore. When she is not busy doing research, she enjoys cafe hopping, playing basketball, and hanging out with friends.

Jack Dodson is a Programmer Analyst in the Hernandez lab at the Semel Institute at UCLA. He earned his Bachelors in genetics at Michigan State University before completing a Masters in bioinformatics at UCLA in 2023. His research projects currently focus on GWAS of autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

Morgan is an undergraduate Neuroscience major from the Bay Area with an interest in epilepsy, psychiatric genetics, and functional neuroimaging. Her research investigates how polygenic risk scores for epilepsy relate to resting-state functional connectivity in the adolescent brain. She is particularly interested in the intersection of neurodevelopment, genetic risk, and brain network organization. Outside of the lab, Morgan enjoys skiing and discovering new music. goes here

Kimiya Natan is a third-year undergraduate at UCLA majoring in PsychoBiology and minoring in Iranian Studies. She is particularly interested in the genetic and neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on investigating genetic variants linked to sleep in pediatric populations and their associations with autism-related traits. After graduation, she intends to pursue a graduate degree. Beyond the lab, Kimiya loves to draw and is a black belt and Sensei of Yoshukai Karate!

Kaitlyn Nguyen is a second-year undergraduate majoring in Psychobiology at UCLA. She is particularly interested in identifying early risk markers for neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital brain malformations through interdisciplinary approaches that connect neuroimaging and large-scale genomic data analysis of infant populations. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys trying new cafes, pickleballing, and going on scenic hikes!

Jenny is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Brain and Behavioral Health. She is particularly interested in how sensory processing and stress regulation shape pediatric populations with autism spectrum disorder and how these mechanisms contribute to cognitive and emotional development. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in medicine with an emphasis on child and adolescent psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys a variety of arts, including painting, crocheting, and playing various instruments.

Misan is a third-year undergraduate from Lancaster CA, majoring in Psychobiology. He is interested in understanding the genetic and neurodevelopment aspects of autism particularly investigating the early biological markers and neonatal resting state connectivity patterns in infancy that lead to an autism diagnosis. Outside of the lab, Misan enjoys making music, playing and watching basketball, and spending time with friends.