Robert Joseph

Prof. Joseph received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1996. He completed postdoctoral training in developmental neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Prof. Joseph has been a faculty member of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology since 2001.

Prof. Joseph researches the neuropsychology and neurobiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of the primary aims of his research has been to identify “neurophenotypes” that can help to resolve the heterogeneity in the causes and symptomatic manifestations of ASD, including social-communicative impairments as well as superior skills, particularly in the domain of visual attention and perception. To study these questions, he uses computerized behavioral tests, eye tracking, psychophysiological measures, and magnetic resonance neuroimaging.

As part of a multi-disciplinary team of investigators funded by the NIH ECHO Program, ELGAN-ECHO, Prof. Joseph also studies the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children born at extremely low gestational age, with the aim of identifying biological and environmental factors and mechanisms that contribute to the risk of preterm birth and adverse neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes, including ASD, in this population.