Colleen Niswender’s work focuses on translational in vitro and in vivo pharmacology to investigate the effects of novel modulators on cellular signaling pathways. She is involved in numerous industry collaborations in her role in the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD). To date, five of the WCNDD's projects have progressed to clinical trials. Dr. Niswender’s academic lab is focused on the development of new treatments for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as Rett syndrome, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. She has published over 270 articles and is the recipient of the 2022 ASPET Scientific Achievement Award in Drug Discovery and Development as well as a Vanderbilt Master Innovator Award in 2024. She recently served as the president of the Academic Drug Discovery Consortium, an international society focused on drug discovery efforts in academia and is a current member of the executive ADDC board.