Ismail Ahmed

Ismail A. Ahmed, Ph.D., is a neuroscience researcher and incoming Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Utah. His work bridges chemical biology and neuroscience, focusing on how neuropeptide signaling shapes behavior and physiology in health and disease. His research interests include oxytocin, vasopressin, neuroplasticity, neuromodulation, maternal behavior and physiology, social behavior, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Through the Ahmed lab, Ahmed develops chemical and molecular tools designed to track and manipulate neuropeptides in real time. He combines these tools with pharmacological and behavioral analyses to investigate how neuropeptides influence neural computations and contribute to complex maternal and social behaviors. The lab’s work also encompasses neurotechnology and tool development, with an emphasis on enabling new ways to study the brain.

Ahmed’s research is supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Awards at the Scientific Interface and Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program. The lab welcomes prospective team members at all levels and invites collaborations to create chemical tools for brain research.