Dr. Caroline Alayne Pearson is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience whose research explores how transcriptional regulation shapes metabolism during human brain development. Her lab focuses on factors such as FOXP1 and their roles in neural progenitor cell function, stress resilience, glycolysis, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Using stem cell–derived models and brain organoids, her group integrates molecular, cellular, and biochemical approaches to uncover mechanisms linking metabolism to cell fate and disease. Dr. Pearson is committed to mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a strong emphasis on training the next generation of scientists in neurodevelopment and translational neuroscience.
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Biography
Dr. Caroline Alayne Pearson is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in the Center for Neurogenetics and the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute. She earned her PhD from the University of Sheffield (UK), where she investigated hypothalamic development in the chick embryo and developed a lasting interest in neural progenitor cells. In 2010, Dr. Pearson moved to the United States to pursue postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Bennett Novitch at UCLA. There, her work focused on FOXP transcription factors and their roles in regulating neural progenitor fate during mouse and human brain development. Dr Pearson has been an Assistant Professor at WCM since 2021 and has established her independent research program focused on how metabolism and stress resilience shape human brain development.
Distinctions:
California Institute of Regenerative Medicine Postdoctoral trainee awards
American Epilepsy Society Junior Investigator award
Member of the GLUT1 Deficiency Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
Member of the GLUT1 Deficiency Foundation Collaborative Research Network
