Austin Coley.

Austin Coley

Assistant professor of neurobiology
David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles

Austin Coley is assistant professor of neurobiology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. His lab focuses on the neural substrates, neural population activity and synaptic properties involved in depressive-like behaviors.

He earned his B.S. in biology at North Carolina Central University and his M.S. in cell physiology at Case Western Reserve University. He then earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience at Drexel University under the mentorship of Wen-Jun Gao, studying the synaptic proteins and mechanisms involved in schizophrenia. As a postdoctoral fellow in Kay Tye’s lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, he studied the effect of neural circuits on behavior, and state-dependent and region-specific cellular aberrations implicated in neuropsychiatric conditions.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Researcher Russell Poldrack's face closeup, with a scanner seen out of focus behind him.

A brief history of precision self-scanning

When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.

By Lauren Gravitz
21 January 2026 | 14 min read
Pyramidal neurons in the mouse hippocampus.

Sensory profiles in autism, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 19 January.

By Jill Adams
20 January 2026 | 2 min read
Portrait of Ubadah Sebbagh against a collage background of shapes, test tubes and a building.

Frameshift: At a biotech firm, Ubadah Sabbagh embraces the expansive world outside academia

As chief of staff at Arcadia, Ubadah Sabbagh gets to do science while also pushing the boundaries of how science gets done.

By Katie Moisse
20 January 2026 | 7 min read

privacy consent banner

Privacy Preference

We use cookies to provide you with the best online experience. By clicking “Accept All,” you help us understand how our site is used and enhance its performance. You can change your choice at any time. To learn more, please visit our Privacy Policy.