Tarik F. Haydar, PhD

Chair, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Haydar received his doctorate at the University of Maryland School of Medicine working on brain development in the Trisomy 16 mouse model of Down syndrome with Dr. Bruce Krueger. He completed postdoctoral studies at Yale University with Dr. Pasko Rakic examining control of forebrain neural precursor development and then started his independent laboratory at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC in 2002. Dr. Haydar joined the Anatomy & Neurobiology Department at BUSM in 2010 where he maintains a vibrant laboratory using state-of-the-art molecular and surgical techniques to study mammalian brain development. Using in utero electroporation, in vivo genetic fate mapping and cell ablation techniques, this project is focused on how the multiple populations of neural stem cells and progenitor cells in the embryonic brain are lineally related and how their combined output leads to proper forebrain development. In addition, the lab is focusing on brain development and function in trisomy mouse models of Down syndrome using cellular, molecular and behavioral techniques. Dr. Haydar’s research is funded by the NIH (NINDS and NICHD).

Publications

  • Published 5/26/2026

    Atak Z, Haydar TF. Progenitor diversity during formation of the mammalian neocortex. Front Neurosci. 2026; 20:1834625. PMID: 42273370.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/23/2026

    Haydar T, Li Z. Early dynamics of the genome in Down syndrome. Science. 2026 Apr 23; 392(6796):360-361. PMID: 42024766.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/21/2025

    Tusk J, Salinas Canas MA, Haydar TF, Dean T. Sleep Fragmentation in TcMAC21 Mouse Model of Down Syndrome. Nat Sci Sleep. 2025; 17:2749-2755. PMID: 41142916.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/20/2025

    Atak Z, Srivastava A, Gandhi S, Park E, Williams J, Torii M, Haydar TF. Disrupted Neurogenesis from Basal Intermediate Precursor Cells Alters the Postnatal Neocortex in the TcMAC21 Mouse Model of Down Syndrome. J Neurosci. 2025 Aug 20; 45(34). PMID: 40675814.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/16/2025

    Horvath A, Abdelmalek C, Park E, Alexander A, Maheswaran S, Patel A, Patel N, Ruan J, Adeyemo A, Li E, Helmicki K, Lin S, Wang P, Li Z, Wang L, Gordish-Dressman H, Haydar T, Mansour T, Kousa Y. A humanized mouse model system mimics prenatal Zika infection and reveals premature differentiation of neural stem cells. Res Sq. 2025 Apr 16. PMID: 40321761.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 80 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Waterhouse Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Faculty, National Emerging Infectious Disease Lab
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Medicine, PhD
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, BS

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