G&D Department Seminar Series
Our seminar series features a diverse range of distinguished speakers from our community and from leading institutes around the world. Tuesdays at 4pm unless otherwise noted.
2025 Spring Semester
Seminars will be held from 4-5pm, unless otherwise stated.
January 14 - HSC 312
Neville Sanjana, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology
NYU Arts & Science
"New frontiers in pooled genetic screens: Identifying essential long noncoding RNAs using RNA-targeting CRISPRs and addressing variant-to-function challenges in human genetics"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
January 21 - HSC 312
Petr Cejka, PhD
Recombination Mechanisms Group Leader
Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Bellinzona, Switzerland
"Understanding mechanisms of genome stability maintenance through biochemical reconstitution experiments"
Co-hosted by Drs. Lorraine Symington, Rodney Rothstein, Alberto Ciccia
January 28 - HSC 312
Matthew Greenblatt, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences
"A new diveristy in skeletal stem cells"
Hosted by Dr. Gerard Karsenty
February 4 - HSC 312
Nadya Dimitrova, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Genetics
Yale University
"Long noncoding RNAs: strength in numbers"
Hosted by Dr. Philippe Batut
February 11 - HSC 312
Marek Mlodzik, PhD
Professor & Chair, Department of Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
"New insights into Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling: from genetic screens to functional integration"
Hosted by Dr. Gerard Karsenty
February 25 - HSC 312
Alison M. Taylor, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Functional and computation approaches to uncover selection advantages of cancer aneuploidy"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
March 4 - HSC 312
Shan Zha, MD, PhD
James A Wolff Professor of Pediatrics, Pathology and Cell Biology and of Microbiology and Immunology
Institute for Cancer Genetics & Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Ku: The DNA Repair Protein That Moonlights as an RNA Wrangler"
Hosted by Dr. Lorraine Symington
March 11 - HSC 312
Matteo Porotto, PhD
Professor of Viral Molecular Pathogenesis (in Pediatrics)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Mechanisms of measles central nervous system infection"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
March 25 - HSC 301
Xuebing Wu, PhD
Associate Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine and in Systems Biology)
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Lost in translation: the fidelity of ribosomes in cancer, heart disease, and aging"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
April 1 - HSC 301
Ulrich Hengst, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Mechanisms of pathogenic gene expression changes in Alzheimer’s disease"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
April 8 - HSC 301
Sara Zaccara, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Biology
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Understanding the complexity of m6A mRNA regulation"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
April 15 - HSC LL 204
Jellert T. Gaublomme, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Sheran Fairchield Center, Columbia University
"In situ mapping of cancer mechanisms and microenvironments via optical pooled CRISPR perturbations"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
April 22 - VEC 201
Christopher D. Makinson, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences (in Neurology)
Institute of Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Molecular to circuit mechanisms of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy"
Hosted by Dr. Gerard Karsenty
April 29 - VEC 201
Anna-Lena Steckelberg, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Investigating viral nuclease-resistant RNA structures across kingdoms of life"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
May 6 - HSC 301
Marko Jovanovic, PhD
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
"How RNA binding protein interactions drive post-transcriptional gene expression regulation"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
May 13 - HSC 301
Hachung Chung, PhD
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Endogenous (‘Self’) double-stranded RNAs as a trigger for inflammation"
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
May 20 - HSC 301
Johannes Walter, PhD
Edward S. Wood Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Blavatnik Institute Biological Chemistry & Molecular Biology, Harvard Medical School
"AI-driven discovery of genome maintenance mechanisms"
Hosted by Dr. Alberto Ciccia
May 27 - CANCELLED / TO BE RESCHEDULED
Rebecca Anne Haeusler, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology & Associate Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
"Gatekeepers of metabolism: linking insulin signaling to cellular transport networks"
Hosted by Dr. Mimi Shirasu-Hiza
The 2024 Cantor Lecture
June 10 - VEC 201
Titia de Lange, PhD
Leon Hess Professor, American Cancer Society Professor, Head of Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics & Director, Anderson Center for Cancer Research
The Rockefeller University
"2 Billion years of shelterin and t-loops: from telomere protection to cancer prevention"
Hosted by Dr. Alberto Ciccia
June 17 - HSC 301
Lei Ding, PhD
Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine & Professor of Microbiology and Immmunology
Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
September 9 - Room TBD
Oliver Hobert, PhD
Professor of Biological Sciences and Molecular Biophysics
Sherman Fairchild Center, Columbia University
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
September 16 - Room TBD
Viraj Sanghvi, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine)
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. Luke Berchowitz
September 23 - Room TBD
Emily M. Mace, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Pediatric Immunology (in Pediatrics) & Full Member, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. Mimi Shirasu-Hiza
September 30 - Room TBD
Chaolin Zhang, PhD
Associate Professor of Systems Biology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (in the Motor Neuron Center)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
October 7 - Room TBD
Shawn Liu, PhD
Joan and Paul Marks, MD '49 Assistant Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Dept Physiology/CellBiophysics
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. V. Alessandro Gennarino
October 14 - Room TBD
Uttiya Basu, PhD
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Title TBA
Hosted by Dr. Lorraine Symington
More Seminars TBA