Research Trainee Spotlight: Scott Huberty, PhD

For Scott Huberty, PhD, becoming a neuroscientist started with an interest in clinical psychology. “As an undergraduate student, I worked with children with autism through after-school programs and summer camps, and I wanted to pursue a career where I could have an impact on their lives,” Dr. Huberty explains. “Once I started working in a research lab, I realized the potential for research to translate into improving the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. I was hooked!”

Growing up just outside of Portland, Oregon, Dr. Huberty attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where his first lab experience involved studying autism in children using electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures the brain’s electrical activity. From there, he moved to Montréal in Québec, Canada, for graduate school at McGill University. “I was able to fuse my interests in child development with a variety of advanced neuroimaging methods,” Dr. Huberty says.

Afterward, Dr. Huberty began his postdoctoral fellowship at CHLA, working with Shafali Spurling Jeste, MD, in the Neurological Institute. He was interested in utilizing a combination of neuroimaging techniques to overcome the individual limitations of each one, and his role at CHLA has been a perfect fit.

“Dr. Jeste leads a study that collects EEG, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), eye-tracking data, and clinical assessments from the same infants at multiple ages,” Dr. Huberty explains. “I am very excited about the potential of this study to help us understand the development of brain networks in infancy, and how these networks relate to the development of social and communication skills.”

Long term, Dr. Huberty hopes to merge his interests with statistics, neuroimaging, and child development to conduct rigorous clinical research into early brain development in children with autism. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing among California’s mountains and deserts.