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Jill Dowen, PhD, is a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member investigating the function of DNA loops involving genes and their regulatory elements.

PhD
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Associate Director, Curriculum in Genetics & Molecular Biology
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Genetics Research Program

Area of Interest

Our research investigates the link between three-dimensional genome organization and gene expression. We seek to understand how the spatial organization of DNA inside the nucleus impacts the expression of genes within a cell and how dynamic changes are brought about during development and disease. We use embryonic stem cells, cancer cells and functional genomics approaches to study the mechanisms that link transcriptional regulation and control of chromosome architecture. Identifying the mechanisms that regulate proper gene expression is important for understanding how their misregulation leads to various diseases and designing effective and targeted therapies for patients.

Find publications on PubMed

Awards and Honors

  • National Academies Scientific Teaching Fellow, 2017
  • Kimmel Scholar, Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research, 2016
  • Whitehead Institute Postdoctoral Association (WIPDA) Education Award, 2012
  • International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Travel Award, 2012
Headshot of Jill Dowen.
  • Phone Number

    (919) 962-8132 (Office Phone)
  • Address

    3360 Genome Sciences Building

    250 Bell Tower Drive

    CB #7100

    Chapel Hill, NC 27599