Autism & Neuroscience

From systems and computational neuroscience to the biology of autism, we convene researchers and build shared resources to accelerate discovery and deepen our understanding of brain function and neurodevelopment.

Fluorescent microscopy image of brain tissue showing blue, green, and red stained neural cells and fibers, with dense cell clusters and branching structures against a dark background.
SFARI Base provides researchers with shared data, tools and biological resources to advance autism science.
Fluorescent microscopy image of brain tissue, showing green and magenta stained cells and layers, highlighting structural differences and cellular distribution in the sample.

Our Work

Our Work

SFARI Base provides researchers with shared data, tools and biological resources to advance autism science.
Fluorescent microscopy image of brain tissue, showing green and magenta stained cells and layers, highlighting structural differences and cellular distribution in the sample.

Funding Opportunities

Open

Fellows-to-Faculty – 2027 Request for Applications

Funding Opportunity

The Fellows-to-Faculty Award program supports talented early career scientists by facilitating their transition into tenure-track faculty positions. The focus of this program is the $600,000 USD three (3) year faculty research grant.

Apply by January 13, 2027

Open

New Ideas – 2026 Request for Applications

Funding Opportunity

The goal of the New Ideas Award is to provide early stage support for bold, exploratory research that tests novel hypotheses and opens new conceptual or experimental directions in the study of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD).

Under Review

Centers of Excellence in Ukraine – Request for Applications 2026

Funding Opportunity

The Simons Foundation intends to continue supporting basic science and mathematics in Ukraine, with the goal of fostering research excellence and international collaboration. Toward this goal, SF and SFI plan to initiate a new program to fund eight to 10 Centers of Excellence through a competitive open call to the research community in Ukraine.

Under Review

Pivot Fellowship – 2026 Request for Applications

Funding Opportunity

The fellowship will enable today’s brightest minds to apply their talent and expertise to a new field and will consist of one training year where the fellow will be embedded in a lab of a mentor to learn the new discipline and its culture.

Careers

Join us in advancing our understanding of the brain and neurodevelopment.

Posted
Section
Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)
About
ABOUT AUTISM & NEUROSCIENCEThe Autism and Neuroscience Division is comprised of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), Neuroscience Collaborations, and Informatics. The mission of SFARI is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders and the goal of the Neuroscience Collaborations is to bring t…
Posted
Section
Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)
About
POSITION SUMMARY Reporting to the Vice President and Senior Scientific Officer, SFARI and working in collaboration with the SFARI Science, Data & Biospecimens Repository (SDBR) and Informatics Teams, the Clinical Research Coordinator will support various data activities for clinical cohorts and biorepositories supported by SFARI, including SPARK,…

SFARI

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

SFARI is the Simons Foundation’s autism research program, supporting scientists and families to advance understanding of autism through research, data, and community partnerships.

About SFARI
Two people sit at a table in a library, writing and discussing notes, with open notebooks and a bookshelf filled with colorful books in the background.