People

Biography
Dr. Tychele N. Turner is a human geneticist and genomicist who investigates the genomic foundations of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Currently, she is a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at Washington University in St. Louis. Her innovative, rigorous work has been honored with a succession of competitive awards, beginning with an Autism Speaks Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an Autism Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in an HHMI lab at the University of Washington, followed by an NIH Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Award. In 2022 she was selected as one of autism research’s “40 Under 40” Rising Stars, and she has recently been appointed a Simons Foundation Investigator.

Beyond her primary research, Dr. Turner is frequently spotlighted as a voice for science and mentorship; recent features include the ASHG Spotlight: Equity in Early Career Research and Cell Genomics’ “Meet the Author” interview series. As senior and corresponding author, her article “From karyotypes to precision genomics in 9p deletion and duplication syndromes” was selected for the HGG Advances Early-Career Researchers’ Collection, underscoring her leadership in translating cytogenetics into precision genomics.

Complementing her scientific accomplishments, Dr. Turner invests in formal leadership development. In 2025 she completed Columbia University’s PI Crash Course and Washington University’s Compass Foundational Training in lab management; earlier training at Cold Spring Harbor (Advanced Techniques in Molecular Neuroscience, 2017) and The Jackson Laboratory’s renowned Short Course in Mammalian Genetics (2009) round out her technical expertise. Taken together, these achievements position Dr. Turner as an emerging leader guiding the next wave of precision genomics insights into autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.

WashU Profile

Turner Research Timeline

CV

Map of Invited Talks

Selected Awards
Autism Speaks Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellow
Autism Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow
National Institute of Mental Health Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Awardee
40 under 40 Rising Star in the Field of Autism Research in “Chronicle of a field retold: Autism science in profile.”
Simons Foundation Investigator

Featured
Profiled in “ASHG Spotlight: Equity in Early Career Research.”
https://www.cell.com/hgg-advances/ashg-spotlight-ecr-equity

“Meet the author: Tychele N. Turner, PhD”
https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/fulltext/S2666-979X(25)00099-0

Featured Article in the HGG Advances Early-Career Researchers’ Collection as the senior, corresponding author for the article “From karyotypes to precision genomics in 9p deletion and duplication syndromes” article.
https://www.cell.com/hgg-advances/collections/early-career-researchers

Selected Certifications
Compass Foundational Training
Washington University in St. Louis
Issued April 2025
Skills: Lab Management

The PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders
Columbia University
Issued January 2025
Skills: Lab Leadership

Advanced Techniques in Molecular Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Issued July 2017
Skills: Molecular Neuroscience

50th Annual Short Course on Medical and Experimental Mammalian Genetics
The Jackson Laboratory
Issued July 2009
Skills: Medical and Experimental Mammalian Genetics