Ed Lein, Ph.D.

Senior Scientific Director, Human Atlases

Ed Lein joined the Allen Institute in 2004 and provides scientific guidance and oversight for the creation of large-scale gene expression atlases of the mammalian brain as online resources for the scientific community. Lein was part of the team that generated the inaugural Allen Mouse Brain Atlas, and now leads efforts to extend these anatomical and gene expression atlasing efforts to the adult and developing human and non-human primate brain. Particular interests of Lein’s work at the Allen Institute include the use of large-scale gene expression data to map functional brain divisions, define specific neuronal subtypes, and compare cellular-level gene expression patterns from rodents to humans to identify molecular pathways unique to humans.  Lein received a B.S. in biochemistry from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of California at Berkeley. His postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies focused on molecular profiling of specific hippocampal and neocortical cell types and the generation of molecular genetic tools for functional manipulation of specific neuronal subtypes. Lein is also an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington.