João Peça is an Assistant Professor at the University of Coimbra and Principal Investigator at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC). He is also a Board Member at CNC-UC and Treasurer of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience. The Peça Lab research neuropsychiatric and developmental disorders, focusing on how genetic and environmental factors influence neuronal circuits. João pioneered the filed of optogenetics during his Ph.D. at Duke University and studied the role of the cortico-striatal circuit in autism spectrum disorders during his postdoctoral research at MIT. His current research integrates molecular genetics, optogenetics, and electrophysiology using rodent models and human brain organoids to dissect neuronal dysfunction.