Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

What Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior does

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is a nonprofit academic research institute founded in 1975 and operating as part of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. It hosts 300+ academic researchers and clinicians and delivers a tripartite mission of basic, clinical, and translational neuroscience research; clinical care delivered in partnership with the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the 74-bed Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital (ranked 5th nationally in psychiatry by U.S. News & World Report); and education/training via fellowship programs and the David Geffen School of Medicine. Core scientific capabilities span multi-modal neuroimaging (MRI, PET), optogenetics, transcranial magnetic stimulation, neuromodulation, psilocybin-assisted CBT, sleep and circadian research, addiction neuroscience, and large-scale multi-site clinical trials including the FDA-approved ENIGMA-TRS 2 Phase III study.

The institute has no commercial revenue model. Funding flows from federal grants (NIH, NSF, NIMH, NIDA, VA), state government, private foundations such as the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, industry partnerships including Newron Pharmaceuticals, and philanthropic donations. Customer-facing assets consist of clinical services (Addiction, Adult, Child & Adolescent, Geriatric Psychiatry; Neuromodulation; Pediatric Neuropsychiatry; Population Behavioral Health; Psychology), research participation recruitment through global clinical trials, and educational programs for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers. Distribution is conducted through the UCLA Health system, ClinicalTrials.gov listings, and academic channels.

The institute competes for talent, grants, and clinical recognition against other top-10 U.S. academic psychiatry departments. Its principal structural advantages are integration with the broader UCLA Health system, a 50-year institutional history, and a transdisciplinary translational research model. Leadership rests with Interim Director Helena Hansen, MD, PhD, appointed in 2025.

Name

Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Legal name

Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Website

https://semel.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is a UCLA-based nonprofit academic research institute delivering translational neuroscience research, clinical psychiatric care, and fellowship training through 300+ researchers and clinicians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Neuroscience Research and Psychiatric Clinical Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neurogenetics & Rare Neurologic Diseases (HLAKAIAO)

Keywords

• Neuroscience research
• Clinical psychiatry services
• Translational research
• Neuropsychiatric care
• Medical education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: The institute operates as an academic research center primarily funded through federal grants (NIH, NSF, NIDA, NIMH), state government funding, foundations, philanthropy, and industry partnerships. No commercial revenue generation.
2. Philanthropy and Donations: The institute accepts donations to further neuroscience research and understanding of complex human behavior, including genetic, biological, behavioral, and socio-cultural underpinnings of normal behavior and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Semel Institute is a nonprofit academic medical research institute within UCLA that conducts basic, clinical, and translational neuroscience research, delivers inpatient and outpatient psychiatric clinical care in partnership with the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital and the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and provides academic training through fellowships and education programs. Its portfolio spans specialized clinical divisions (addiction, adult, child/adolescent, geriatric psychiatry, neuromodulation, psychology) and an extensive network of research centers, programs, and laboratories.

Product overview

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is a premier academic research institution at UCLA providing a comprehensive portfolio of clinical, research, and educational services. The institute operates through clinical divisions (Addiction Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Neuromodulation, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Clinic, Population Behavioral Health, and Psychology), an extensive network of research centers and programs, and fellowship/training programs. The institute partners with the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital to deliver patient care while conducting translational research from basic neuroscience to clinical applications. This is not a product company but rather an academic medical research institute offering clinical services and conducting research studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Psychiatric Services Comprehensive clinical psychiatric care provided in partnership with the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, offering inpatient and outpatient specialty services across multiple divisions including Addiction Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Neuromodulation, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Clinic, Population Behavioral Health, and Psychology. Patients are individuals with mental illness, neurological, and behavioral disorders seeking specialized evaluation, treatment, and ongoing care.
• Clinical Research and Trials Clinical studies and trials that apply basic science findings to human participants, including new treatment and care development studies. Participants include healthy individuals and patients who volunteer through UCLA Health clinical trials listings and the institute's Join a Study pages, including global Phase III studies such as ENIGMA-TRS 2.
• Research Fellowship Programs Academic training programs for postdoctoral fellows and visiting researchers, including specialty fellowships in Child & Adolescent, Geriatric, Addiction, Consultation-Liaison, Forensic, and Research & Health-Services psychiatry, as well as APA-accredited predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowships in Psychology. Programs are delivered through the Office of Education and serve graduate students, medical students, residents, and postgraduate researchers.
• Research Centers, Programs, and Laboratories Extensive network of specialized research centers, programs, and laboratories covering areas such as anxiety, depression, autism, psychosis, addiction, sleep, trauma, neurobehavioral genetics, community health, OCD, ADHD, psychedelic studies, and neurodegenerative disease. These units produce the institute's scientific output, including neuroimaging, optogenetic, neuromodulation, and clinical intervention research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 10 nationally ranked Department of Psychiatry
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Twinspire (Together We Inspire)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 July 2026Partnership for Youth Financial Empowerment Summit specifically designed for foster youth, hosted at California State Dominguez Hills.
• Newron PharmaceuticalsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2025Collaborative clinical trial partnership for ENIGMA-TRS 2 Phase III global clinical study with evenamide as add-on therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, enrolling patients across US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
• Resnick Neuropsychiatric HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Semel Institute partners with the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital to provide clinical care. This partnership brings together world-class researchers and clinicians to discover and implement effective treatments for patient care. The hospital has 74 inpatient beds and is ranked 5th best in psychiatry by U.S. News & World Report.
• UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, housed within the David Geffen School of Medicine, is home to the majority of Semel Institute faculty. With over 300 academic researchers and clinicians, the department has broad and transdisciplinary interests resulting in deep expertise in the origins and treatments of disorders of complex human behavior.
• David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for housing Department of Psychiatry faculty and joint educational programs, ranking consistently in top 10 nationally.
• UCLA Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration with broader UCLA Health system for clinical services, research coordination, and patient care delivery across the healthcare network.
• International Universities and Research InstitutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Semel Institute is engaged with many universities, government agencies, and nonprofit groups across the USA and worldwide for collaborative research initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• McLean Hospital: Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital and neuroscience research center, also consistently top-ranked nationally. Comparable as a peer academic psychiatric research institution with transdisciplinary neuroscience research, clinical care, and training programs targeting neuropsychiatric disorders.
• New York State Psychiatric Institute (Columbia University): Columbia-affiliated psychiatric research institute conducting translational neuroscience and clinical trials. Comparable as a university-based research organization focused on serious mental illness with similar NIH funding model.
• Allen Institute for Brain Science: Independent nonprofit brain science research organization conducting large-scale neuroscience research. Comparable as a nonprofit research entity with advanced imaging and brain-mapping technologies — although private rather than university-based.
• Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences: Top-ranked academic psychiatry department at a leading research university. Directly comparable as a university-based neuropsychiatric research and clinical care enterprise with translational pipelines and federal grant funding.
• Stanford Neurosciences Institute: Stanford University's flagship neuroscience research institute. Comparable as a premier university-based biomedical research organization with multi-modal imaging, neuromodulation, and translational neuroscience programs.
• Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry: Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychiatric research and clinical program at a top academic medical center. Directly comparable in scale, transdisciplinary research scope, and clinical-trial leadership.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics: German basic neuroscience research institute with advanced imaging and systems neuroscience programs. Comparable in research depth and methodological sophistication, though focused on basic rather than clinical-translational research and based in Europe.
• Karolinska Institutet Department of Neuroscience: Leading European academic neuroscience research department. Comparable as a university-based neuroscience research enterprise with translational pipelines, but operating in a different geography (Sweden/Europe) and not directly competing for U.S. clinical trials.

Broad incumbents

• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Independent nonprofit biological research institute with broad neuroscience and biomedical research portfolio. Comparable as a premier biomedical research organization, though broader in scope beyond psychiatry.

Others

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Intramural Research Program: Federal government's primary in-house mental health research program. Connected as a key funder of the Semel Institute's research and a major counterpart in the U.S. neuropsychiatric research ecosystem, though it is a funder/peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/semel-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior