Dr. Gary Karpen is a distinguished cellular and molecular biologist whose research has significantly advanced our understanding of chromosome structure and function. He currently serves as a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Berkeley and as a Senior Faculty Scientist in the Biological Systems and Engineering Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Karpen earned his PhD in Genetics from the University of Washington in 1987, where he investigated nucleolus organization in rDNA function. Following his doctoral work, he conducted postdoctoral research with Allan Spradling at the Carnegie Institution, which sparked his interest in heterochromatin formation, leading him to establish his own laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in 1991 where he worked for twelve years before moving to Berkeley in 2003.
Dr. Karpen's pioneering research has focused on chromatin structure and function with particular emphasis on heterochromatic DNA regions, centromere formation, and the role of non-coding RNAs in chromosome organization. His laboratory has made seminal contributions to understanding how heterochromatin is formed and maintained, revealing crucial mechanisms involving lncRNAs, aging, and DNA repair that govern chromosome inheritance. Through systematic studies using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, his team has demonstrated surprising evolutionary conservation of chromatin organization principles between flies and humans, challenging previous assumptions about species-specific differences in chromosome biology. These discoveries have profound implications for understanding the molecular basis of cancer, birth defects, and aging processes where chromosome dysfunction plays a critical role.
Beyond his research accomplishments, Dr. Karpen has been a significant contributor to the scientific community through leadership roles including his service as Director of the Life Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 2011 to 2015. He has authored over ninety scientific papers, book chapters, and review articles while holding five patents that reflect the translational potential of his work. Recognized early in his career as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Karpen continues to push the boundaries of chromatin research with his laboratory's current investigations into phase separation phenomena, novel aspects of genome and protein evolution, and the previously unrecognized functions of satellite DNA-derived RNAs. His ongoing work promises to further illuminate the complex relationship between chromatin dynamics, nuclear architecture, and human health, maintaining his position at the forefront of molecular cell biology research.
