Dara Manoach is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and a Lurie Center for Autism Faculty Associate at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School. She directs the Sleep, Cognition and Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) lab at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at MGH.

Manoach is a neuropsychologist who has devoted her career to understanding the neural bases and nature of cognitive challenges in neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly schizophrenia and autism, so that they can be effectively treated. The goals of her research program are to (i) illuminate the mechanisms underlying abnormal sleep physiology in these conditions; (ii) understand the contribution of abnormal sleep to cognitive differences, symptoms, and sleep disruption; (iii) develop sensitive biomarkers of sleep-dependent cognition; and (iv) evaluate targeted treatments. Manoach’s lab uses multimodal neuroimaging, intracranial studies, non-invasive brain stimulation, cognitive testing and polysomnography to meet these goals. She collaborates with both clinical and basic investigators doing complementary work.

Manoach’s career goals are to mentor the next generation of clinical scientists and to conduct research that substantially expands our understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions, provides insights into pathophysiology and leads to interventions that significantly improve quality of life.

Manoach received her doctorate from Harvard University in experimental psychology. She completed a clinical psychology internship at McLean Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Beth Israel Hospital of Harvard Medical School before joining MGH.