The Rutgers Brain Health Institute has appointed internationally recognized autism researcher Sara Jane Webb, PhD, as director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES).
Webb, who currently serves as a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington and a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, will officially assume the role in April. She succeeds inaugural director Wayne Fisher.
Webb brings more than two decades of scientific and administrative leadership to Rutgers. A pioneer in the field of autism diagnosis and biomarker development, her research utilizes advanced electrophysiology, eye-tracking, and longitudinal methods to map brain development and social communication trajectories from infancy into adulthood.
Her foundational work on face perception and social communication has helped shape early autism identification strategies, novel clinical drug trials, and biomarker validation efforts through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Over the course of her career, Webb has secured more than $28 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with substantial philanthropic backing, including a recent $17 million award to join the ARIA IMPACT Network.
“We are delighted to bring Sara Jane Webb to the Brain Health Institute to lead RUCARES,” Gary Aston-Jones, director of the Brain Health Institute, said. “Her work advancing autism biomarker science and translational research positions our center to build stronger cross‑campus collaborations, bridge laboratory discovery to real‑world support, and expand meaningful resources for autistic children, adults, and families across New Jersey.”
RUCARES serves as a central hub within Rutgers University, coordinating interdisciplinary autism research, educational programming, and clinical care. The center houses specialized initiatives such as the Severe Behavior Program, a research-informed care model directed by Brian Greer for children with severe behavior disorders.
In her new role, Webb aims to foster interdisciplinary partnerships across campuses, recruit and mentor early-career researchers, and expand externally funded clinical and translational programs.
“I am excited about the possibility of creating more collaborations and a bigger hub for autism research, integrating research into clinical care, and bringing together the researchers and clinicians across Rutgers with the power and support of the New Jersey autistic community to create a central hub for autism scientific thought,” Webb said.
Throughout her career, Webb has held scientific leadership roles with major national and international organizations, including the International Society for Autism Research, the Autism Baby Siblings Research Consortium, the NIH Biomarkers Consortium, the Simons Foundation, and the Eagles Autism Foundation.
