Joe McCleery, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions Research Laboratory, and Executive Director of Academic Programs in the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, at Saint Joseph's University. His research has been focused along three major themes. The first theme involves examining and elucidating the mechanisms of social processing and perception in infants, children, and adults with and without autism. The second theme concerns the examination of genetic impacts on brain functioning, through the study of the relationships of normal genetic variation and rare genetic syndromes (e.g., mutations, microdeletions) with brain and behavioral functioning. The third and currently most active theme involves the evaluation and development of behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions for individuals with autism and related developmental difficulties. Dr. McCleery has published his research and ideas in leading peer-reviewed journals in the fields of Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience; and his research has been supported by a number of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Autistica, Autism Speaks, the M.I.N.D. Institute, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, and the McMorris Family Foundation.

Dr. McCleery lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children. He completed his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University, and his Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego, before completing his postdoctoral training at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School. He enjoys hiking and wilderness travel with his family, and Thai kickboxing (Muay Thai). Dr. McCleery is a former foster child, and a first generation college student.