Tom Nowakowski

Dr. Tomasz Jan Nowakowski is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with joint appointments in Anatomy, Psychiatry, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and completed postdoctoral training at UCSF before joining the UCSF faculty in 2017.

His research centers on human brain development, particularly cortical neurogenesis and gene regulatory networks, with the overarching goal of establishing the human brain as a primary model system for neuroscience. His lab develops scalable tools to map cell lineage, neuronal fate decisions, and synaptic connectivity in human brain tissue. This work has led to key discoveries, such as redefining the timeline of neuron and glia production and uncovering epigenetic maps of cortical areas.

Dr. Nowakowski also advances innovative methods for probing human brain biology, including cerebral organoid models, viral vectors for precise genetic access, and optogenetic strategies to modulate neural activity. His efforts aim to open new therapeutic avenues for epilepsy, autism, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Beyond his research, he contributes to large-scale scientific collaborations, including leadership roles in the NIH BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network.