1991 – 1994 B.S., Department of Plant Pathology, Seoul National University, R.O.K. 

1997 – 1999 M.S., Department of Plant Pathology, Seoul National University, R.O.K. 

2000 – 2005 Ph.D., Department of Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, IL. U.S.A. 

2005 – 2009 Research Fellow, Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Harvard Medical School 

2009 – 2015 Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine 

2015 – Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine 

2017 – Associate Professor, Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine 

2020 – Associate Professor (tenured), Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine 

2023 – Associate Professor, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale School of Medicine 

2025 – Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine

We develop human brain organoid models that recapitulate key features of early human brain development, with a particular focus on the forebrain. During embryogenesis, the telencephalon and diencephalon give rise to distinct rostral and caudal forebrain structures. By precisely controlling combinations of developmental signaling factors and the timing of their application, we generate brain organoids representing distinct cortical and subcortical subdomains.

We characterize these organoid models using single-cell transcriptome, immunostaining, and electrophysiological analyses to define their cellular composition, developmental trajectories, and functional properties. Using these well-defined human brain models, we further investigate the roles of genes implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders and determine how their dysregulation alters human cortical development.

We use patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), together with CRISPR-based genome editing, to establish disease-relevant human stem cell models. These iPSCs or human stem cells are differentiated into brain organoids and assembloids to investigate how neuropsychiatric disorders may emerge during early human brain development and to define the mechanisms through which disease-associated genes contribute to these developmental abnormalities.

Our studies focus on key processes of cortical development, including radial glial cell development, cortical laminar organization, neuronal differentiation, and neural circuit formation and connectivity. By integrating cellular, molecular, genomic, and functional analyses, we aim to uncover how genetic alterations associated with BD and ASD disrupt human brain development and contribute to disease pathogenesis.

Human cortical organoids. Blue: DAPI, Red: SOX2, Green: GFAP

Human ESC colony growing on MEFs.

ARS and post-doc : Ridvan Kiral, Jonghun Kim, Woosub Yang, Museog Choe

Students : Cynthia Lo, Majo Orozco Fuentes, Erin Mansell, Adriana Galindo Oelsner

Homepage : https://medicine.yale.edu/lab/park

Contact : inhyun.park@yale.edu 

The In-Hyun Park Lab at Yale School of Medicine is seeking a Postgraduate Research Associate (B.S or M.S.) and Postdoctoral Associate to join our research team within the Department of Genetics and Yale Stem Cell Center. Our laboratory studies human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders using human pluripotent stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), brain organoids, genetics, genomics, and molecular and cellular biology approaches.
 

Education and Research Environment
The Park Lab is part of the Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics and Neuroscience, and Yale Stem Cell Center, with connections to the Yale Child Study Center and Wu Tsai Institute. Trainees will participate in an interdisciplinary research environment involving stem cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, developmental biology, genomics, and human disease modeling.
 
 
Application
Interested applicants should send a brief statement of interest/cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references to: In-Hyun Park, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, at inhyun.park@yale.edu