Biology Seminar Series: Li Wang - "Development of the Human Neocortex: from Progenitors to Circuits"

Dr. Li Wang earned his Ph.D. in Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine, where he investigated disease mechanisms and developed novel therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF's Broad Stem Cell Center. His postdoctoral research integrates genomic and proteomic approaches to explore human brain development, synapse formation, cognition, and the pathogenesis of brain disorders. His recent work led to two major discoveries: the identification of a novel tripotential neural progenitor cell with a key role in brain cancer and the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying synapse maturation, revealing a human-specific delay that may contribute to higher cognitive functions.