James S. McDonnell Department of Genetics

The Department of Genetics is at the forefront of the rapidly developing field known as genomic (or personalized) medicine, in which genetic and epigenetic analysis coupled with clinical information enables treatments to be tailored specifically to the individual patient. The rapid evolution of sequencing technologies, genome engineering, automated cellular imaging and mass spectrometry methods to rapidly perform proteomic and metabolomics studies, coupled with powerful computational tools, is revolutionizing the biological sciences. Investigators in the department are developing new methods of genomic analysis — including technology and software, epigenomics and copy number variation as well as studies of disease pathways using model organisms — to identify and study the genes responsible for human disease and treatment responses.

The department supports a broad program of preclinical and graduate instruction in genetics, with research opportunities that include studies of transcriptional networks, population genetics, protein evolution, neurological disorders, developmental genetics, models of human disease, genome architecture, statistical genetics and computational biology, genome technologies and infertility.

A significant portion of the first-year course in basic medical sciences is devoted to human and clinical genetics, with emphasis on how genomic information will transform the practice of medicine. This includes specialized selective courses in addition to the core genetic curriculum. Advanced training in clinical genetics and in genetic research is available from the faculty in the Department of Genetics and from geneticists with principal appointments in many other departments within the School of Medicine.

Advanced courses and seminars are offered that focus on the genetics of complex disease, gene expression, genome engineering, induced pluripotent stem cells, single-cell genomics, molecular genetics, genetic epidemiology, computational biology, developmental genetics, microbial genetics, cancer genetics, and population and evolutionary genetics. Extraordinary opportunities for research training and experience are available in all of these areas and at all levels. The programs are tailored to meet the needs of medical students, graduate students, and both MD and PhD postdoctoral fellows pursuing advanced training in biomedical research.

Website:

http://genetics.wustl.edu

Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD
James S. McDonnell Professor and Head of Genetics
Executive Director, McDonnell Genome Institute
Co-Director Needleman Center for Neurometabolism and Axonal Therapeutics

Michael Province, PhD
Director, Division of Statistical Genomics

Rich Head, MS
Director, Genome Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute (GTAC@MGI)

Xiaoxia Cui, PhD
Director, Genome Engineering and iPSC Center

Visit our website for more information about our faculty and their appointments.

A

Lucinda L. Antonacci-Fulton, M.B.A., M.S.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1991
Master of Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1992
Master of Business Administration, Washington University in St Louis, 2022

B

Ruteja A. Barve, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, 1995
Master of Science, Washington University in St Louis, 2008
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2014

John Rutledge Bermingham, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Yale University, 1979
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Colorado Boulder, 1989

Adam J. Bloom, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Bachelor of Science, University of California Berkeley, 1997
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2006

William James Buchser, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Music, University of Miami, 2002
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Miami, 2009

C

Paul F Cliften, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Utah State University, 1992
Master of Science, Utah State University, 1995
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Colorado Health Science Center, 1999

Barak Alon Cohen, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Alvin Goldfarb Distinguished Professor of Computational Biology
Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, 1992
Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1998

Xiaoxia Cui, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Nanjing University (南京大学), 1993
Master of Science, University of Alabama in Birmingham, 1997
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Texas Austin, 2005

D

Joseph D Dougherty, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Professor of Psychiatry
Bachelor of Science, Truman State University (Formerly Northeast Missouri State University), 1999
Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, 2005

Susan K. Dutcher, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Bachelor of Arts, Colorado College, 1974
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Washington, 1980

E

Gabor Egervari, Ph.D., M.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Doctor of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 2011
Doctor of Philosophy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mo, 2017

F

Robert S. Fulton, M.S.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1990
Master of Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1997

H

Richard D Head, M.S.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Professor of Pathology and Immunology
Master of Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1992

Paul Hime, Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Washington University in St Louis, 2004
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Kentucky, 2017

J

Sheng Chih Jin, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Master of Science, Johns Hopkins University, 2008
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2014
Bachelor of Science, National Chiao Tung University, 2019

L

Heather A Lawson, M.A., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 2002
Main Campus, 2004
Main Campus, 2008

Daofeng Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, China Agricultural University, 2005
Doctor of Philosophy, China Agricultural University, 2011

Tina Ann Lindsay, M.A.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Missouri State University (Formerly Southwest Missouri State), 1993
Master of Arts, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1996

M

Tassia Mangetti Goncalves, M.S., Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, University of SAO Paulo, 2012
Master of Science, University of SAO Paulo, 2015
Champaign, 2019

Xianrong Mao, M.S., Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Lanzhou University (兰州大学), 1993
Master of Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1996
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Arkansas Main Campus, 2001

Brett Burkard Maricque, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Adjunct Instructor
Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin Madison, 2010
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2016

James P Mc Carter, Ph.D., M.D.
Voluntary Research Professor of Genetics
Bachelor of Arts, Princeton University, 1989
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 1998
Doctor of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, 1998

Michael Meers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Duke University, 2010
Doctor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, null

Benpeng Miao, Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Ocean University of China (中国海洋大学), 2013
Doctor of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2018

Jeffrey D Milbrandt, Ph.D., M.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
James S McDonnell Professor of Genetics
Executive Director of the McDonnell Genome Institute
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Pathology and Immunology
Professor of Neurology
Bachelor of Science, University of Nebraska, 1974
Doctor of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, 1978
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Virginia, 1983

Robi D. Mitra, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Alvin Goldfarb Distinguished Professor of Computational Biology
Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000

P

Michael A Province, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Professor of Biostatistics
Bachelor of Arts, University of Dallas, 1973
Master of Arts, Washington University in St Louis, 1979
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 1987

S

Nancy L. Saccone, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Bachelor of Arts, University of California, 1988
Master of Science, Brown University, 1990
Doctor of Philosophy, Brown University, 1993

Yo Sasaki, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 1991
Master of Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 1994
Doctor of Philosophy, Gunma University, Med School, 1997

Tim B Schedl, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Lawrence University, 1977
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1984

Giwon Shin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Pohang University of Science & Technology, 2007
Doctor of Philosophy, Pohang University of Science & Technology, 2012

James B Skeath, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Assistant Dean Academic Pathway Programs
Bachelor of Arts, Haverford College, 1988
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1993

Gary D Stormo, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Genetics
Bachelor of Science, California Institute of Technology, 1972
Master of Arts, University of Colorado Boulder, 1975
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Colorado Boulder, 1981

T

Tychele Naomi Turner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Michigan State University, 2008
Doctor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University, 2014

V

Michael J. Vasek, Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Duke University, 2006
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2015

W

Ting Wang, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Sanford and Karen Loewentheil Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Head of the Department of Genetics
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Professor of Biostatistics
Master of Science, Washington University in St Louis, 2001
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2006

Yung-Chun Wang, Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (Pending Dean Approval) (primary appointment)
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Georgia, 2018

Michael Aaron White, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Brigham Young University, 2000
Master of Science, University of Rochester, 2004
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Rochester, 2006

Mary Kaye Wojczynski, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, 1995
Master of Public Health, Emory University, 1999
Doctor of Philosophy, University North Carolina, 2006

Y

Jinsheng Yu, M.S., Ph.D., M.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Hubei University of Medicine, 1984
Doctor of Medicine, Hubei University of Medicine, 1984
Master of Science, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1995
Doctor of Philosophy, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1998

Z

Guoyan Zhao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Genetics (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 2003

Xiaoyu Zhuo, Ph.D.
Instructor in Genetics (primary appointment)
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Utah, 2016

Genetics Research Electives

During the fourth year, opportunities exist for many varieties of advanced clinical or research experiences.

Barak Cohen, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 4308
Phone: 314-362-3674
cohen@wustl.edu

Functional genomics in yeast; gene regulatory networks, complex trait genetics, and synthetic biology studies of cis-regulation.

Joseph Dougherty, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 6316
Phone: 314-286-0752
jdougherty@wustl.edu

Our laboratory utilizes a variety of techniques spanning from human molecular genetics and informatics to mouse behavioral neuroscience and neuroanatomy. We develop and employ mouse models of psychiatric disorders, particularly those that mimic genetic variations that we have identified in human patient populations, with the goal of trying to understand the cellular and molecular underpinnings of these disorders.

Susan K. Dutcher, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5301
Phone: 314-362-2765
dutcher@wustl.edu

Studies of the role of centrioles and basal bodies in ciliary signaling, assembly, and motility using molecular genetics and computational and biochemical approaches.

Gabor Egervari, MD, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 6313
Phone: 314-362-6741
gabor@wustl.edu

Our lab combines genomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches with animal behavioral models to understand how metabolic fluctuations influence gene expression in the brain, particularly in the context of substance use disorders and neurodegeneration.

Sheng Chih (Peter) Jin, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5206
jin810@wustl.edu
Phone: 314-273-2710

We use human genetic, genomic, and bioinformatic approaches to identify mutations underlying human diseases and their molecular mechanisms.

Tristan (Qingyun) Li, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-273-1422
qingyunli@wustl.edu

Our lab is broadly interested in neuroimmunology, with a focus on microglial biology. We combine cutting-edge, single-cell genomic technologies with in vitro and in vivo genetic, molecular, and cellular tools to investigate microglial functions in the establishment of the nervous system as well as how changes in these functions contribute to neurological diseases.

Michael Meers, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5308
Phone: 314-747-4061
meers@wustl.edu

The Meers Lab studies how transcription factors interact with and overcome barriers presented by chromatin landscapes to specify developmental and disease outcomes. To do so, we develop cutting-edge epigenomics techniques to map transcription factor binding and chromatin structure in the same context at high resolution.

Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 6306
Phone: 314-362-4651
jmilbrandt@wustl.edu

We are performing Cas9/CRISPR activation and repression screens in iPSC-derived neurons together with single-cell transcriptomics analysis to evaluate the causal effects of genetic variants associated with neuropsychiatric diseases. We are also studying how metabolism influences the axonal/glial interactions important for proper nerve function. We use genetic and metabolomic analysis to identify molecular mechanisms of axonal degeneration, a self-destructive process that plays an important role in many neurodegenerative conditions, particularly motor neuron diseases like ALS and peripheral neuropathy.

Rob Mitra, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 4301
Phone: 314-362-2751
rmitra@wustl.edu

Our focus is on systems biology, gene regulation and technology development. Projects in the lab fall into three general categories: (1) understanding the molecular logic of transcription factor cooperativity; (2) mapping the gene regulatory networks that control developmental processes and using this knowledge to reprogram fibroblasts into useful cell types; and (3) developing novel technologies to more efficiently achieve the first two aims.

Samantha Morris, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 3316
Phone: 314-747-8618
s.morris@wustl.edu

This lab strives to engineer cell fate to generate clinically valuable cell populations via stem cell and developmental biology. Our research focuses on dissecting the gene regulatory networks that define cell identity, using the developing embryo and tissue regeneration as a guide to engineer fate in vitro. We apply insight from these analyses to generate clinically relevant populations by differentiating cells from a pluripotent state or by directly converting cells between mature fates. We employ a combination of computational, single-cell transcriptomics with cell and developmental biology approaches.

Michael A. Province, PhD
Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC), 6th floor, Suite 605
Phone: 314-362-3616
mprovince@wustl.edu

Development and evaluation of novel statistical genetics methodology, especially as applied to genomic identification and validation of variants for human complex quantitative traits, such as heart disease, cancer, pulmonary function, diabetes, and human longevity.

Nancy L. Saccone, PhD
Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC), 6th floor, Suite 606
Phone: 314-747-3263
nlism@wustl.edu

Statistical genetics and psychiatric genetics; development and application of analysis methods for studying the genetics of human disease and complex traits.

Tim Schedl, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5305
Phone: 314-362-6162
ts@wustl.edu

Our lab studies germ cell development in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The major focuses are control of the decision to proliferate or enter the meiotic pathway, control and coordination of meiotic prophase progression and gametogenesis, and control of meiotic maturation and ovulation.

James Skeath, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 6315
Phone: 314-362-0535
jskeath@wustl.edu

Identification of the genes and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the early events of Drosophila central neurogenesis; illumination of the mechanisms that form, pattern and specify the individual identities of the progenitor cells of the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Gary D. Stormo, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 4208
Phone: 314-747-5534
stormo@wustl.edu

Computational biology of protein-DNA interactions, RNA folding, gene and promoter finding; biochemical analysis of DNA-protein interactions and gene regulation.

Tychele Turner, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5302
Phone: 314-273-8517
tychele@wustl.edu

The focus of the Turner laboratory is the discovery and characterization of genetic etiological factors involved in neurodevelopmental disorders. We utilize both computational and experimental approaches to explore this genetic architecture.

Ting Wang, PhD
Couch Biomedical Research Building, Room 5211
Phone: 314-286-0865
twang@wustl.edu

Our lab uses genomics and epigenomics approaches to investigate how epigenetic factors determine cell fate. We study cell fate in normal development, differentiation, and regeneration; cell fate in tumorigenesis and epigenetic therapy; and cell fate in evolution.

James S. McDonnell Department of Genetics

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