PhD
Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology
UNC-Chapel Hill
Immunology
Area of Interest
The overarching goal of my lab is to understand the role of 3D chromatin structure in gene regulation, organismal development, and human disease. We employ an interdisciplinary approach that combines existing genomic, proteomic, bioinformatic, and genome editing technologies with the development of new experimental and computational tools to interrogate 3D chromatin architecture. Insights gleaned from my lab’s research will have a broad impact on our understanding of chromatin structure, the molecular mechanisms of disease, and gene regulation as a whole. We study 3D chromatin architecture and other genomic regulatory features in myeloid progenitor cells, macrophages, microglia, and chondrocytes in resting conditions and in response to disease-relevant stimuli. We are interested both in the mechanisms of transcriptional control and how we can use these data to interpret the genetic risk for diseases such as Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Osteoarthritis. As part of these projects, my lab has developed expertise in cell culture, genome editing, genomic library preparation, bioinformatic analysis, and the computational intersection of multi-omic data sets.
Awards and Honors
- NIH/NIGMS R35 MIRA, 2018-2028
- NIH/NIAMS R01, 2022-2027
- NIH/NCI R01, 2022-2027
- NIH/NIA R01, 2020-2025
- NIH/NHGRI K99/R00, 2014-2019
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Fellowship, 2012-2014
