He received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford in 1997 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School. Dolmetsch is a neurobiologist who combines advanced microscopy, biochemistry, and genetics to determine how mutations alter the development and function of neurons in people with autism. He is using the Pioneer Award to develop methods of using adult human stem cells to generate neurons from people with autism and to study the properties of those cells. Dolmetsch’s honors include a Burroughs Wellcome Award, a Searle Scholar Award, a McKnight Scholar Award, and a Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award.