About the Bishop Lab
Our Values
- Neurodiversity affirmation: we celebrate neurological differences, seeing them as valuable and integral to human diversity
- Community partnership: we collaborate with autistic adults, families, and caregivers at every stage of research
- Scientific integrity: our work is grounded in rigorous methods and transparent data practices
- Self-determination: we center autonomy, dignity, and choice in research goals and outcomes
- Accessibility and inclusion: we strive to make our research, spaces, and outputs usable by all
Lab Leadership and History
The Bishop Lab is led by Dr. Lauren Bishop, PhD, MSW (she/her). Dr. Bishop is an associate professor at the UW-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work and an investigator at the Waisman Center. She is also affiliated with several prestigious institutes, including the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Institute for Diversity Science, the Center for the Demography of Health and Aging, and the Center for Aging Research and Education. Dr. Bishop has received numerous accolades, such as the 2022 Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research, a 2022-2024 Vilas Associate Professorship, and a 2024-2029 H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2022, she was appointed to the Athletic Board and the University Research Council at UW-Madison. She also serves on the editorial boards for Autism, Autism Research, and Social Work in Mental Health.
Since its founding in 2017 by Dr. Bishop, the Bishop Lab has built a powerful reputation for producing high-quality, impactful research and training top-performing PhD students and postdocs. We publish in leading journals such as JAMA Neurology, Autism, Autism Research, Autism in Adulthood, Maternal and Child Health Journal, and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Our work has garnered national awards and recognition, supported by over $16 million in funding from various public and foundation sources, including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute on Mental Health. Our former trainees have secured positions at institutions like Boston University, Florida State University, Drexel University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Institute for Research on Poverty, among others. We collaborate with researchers from institutions such as The Ohio State University, University of Utah, University of Florida, Drexel University, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Harvard University, as well as with various UW-Madison faculty and researchers.