Marta Benedetti, Dr. Biol. Sciences

Marta Benedetti, Dr. Biol. Sci. is a senior scientific officer of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative where she works as a member of the team to develop funding priorities for autism research. Benedetti, whose  focus is on molecular and cellular biology, was involved in the development of the Simons Simplex Collection, established the Autism Mouse Models Repository, helped launch and has oversight of Autism BrainNet, a postmortem brain tissue repository from individuals with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. She has led targeted award programs, and focussed-area workshops. 

Prior to joining the Simons Foundation, Benedetti was a scientific manager at the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Benedetti earned her Dr. Biol. Sci from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. She worked on the neuropharmacology of the dopaminergic system and carried out her postdoctoral work on the mechanism of signal transduction of growth factors first, and later on on the molecular mechanisms of synaptogenesis in the central nervous system.