Research

core theme: Understanding the Physical Genome

Our lab focuses on developing methods to probe both the structure and function of molecules encoded by the genome, as well as the physical compaction and folding of the genome itself. Our efforts are split between building new tools to leverage the power of high-throughput sequencing technologies and cutting-edge optical microscopies, and bringing these technologies to bear against basic biological questions by linking nucleic acid sequence, structure, and function.

High-throughput Biophysics & Molecular Evolution

We are interested in understanding the biophysical basis and evolutionary consequences of sequence-function relationships in biological molecules and their interactions. Towards this goal, we develop ultra-high-throughput methods to quantitatively assay sequence-space in bulk and single-molecule experiments.

DNA Accessibility & Chromatin Structure

We seek to understand the hierarchical folding of genomic DNA into regulated structures, the most basic and important of which is the nucleosome. With this objective in mind, we have developed methods that assay open chromatin, nucleosome positions, and transcription factor binding genome-wide in small populations of cells undergoing dynamic processes such as differentiation or stochastic state switching.