Current Lab Members

Craig Peterson, Ph.D

Academic Background

Craig Peterson received his BS from the University of Washington in 1983 and his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1988. He was a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation postdoctoral fellow from 1988-1991, in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1992, he joined the University of Massachusetts Medical School as a faculty member in the Program in Molecular Medicine.

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Kimberly Crowley

Salih Topal

I am interested in how the transcriptional activity of RNA Pol II is regulated by chromatin dynamics. Specifically, I work on H3K56 acetylation and dissecting down the mechanism behind H3K56 acetylation to regulate RNA Pol II occupancy.

Nate Gioacchini

My goal is to understand how the subunit Swc5 of the chromatin remodeling complex SWR1C facilitates histone dimer exchange.

Jiayi (Jason) Fan

I’m interested in dissecting the function of INO80 family chromatin remodelers biochemically and biophysically. My research project involves using fluorescence-based techniques to probe in detail the mechanism of SWR1 and INO80 complexes.

Alysia Bryll

I am interested in understanding the cellular regulation of RNA synthesis and decay; a phenomenon known as transcriptional buffering. My studies focus on how the interplay of RNA degradation complexes and chromatin remodelers maintain this homeostasis.  

Yonca Betul Karadeniz

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms that govern chromatin dynamics and how it mediates cellular organization and function. My research focuses on identifying the function and mechanism of SWR1C subunits Yaf9/Swc4 and deciphering how histone tails and DNA linker regulate SWR1C dimer exchange activity.

Alexander Baier

 I’m interested in the mechanistic understanding and regulation of cellular machinery. Specifically, I’m seeking to better understand the dynamics of various chromatin remodeling enzymes using a wide variety of biochemistry and molecular biology tools.

Shinya Watanabe, Ph.D.   Assistant Professor   

I am interested in studying the structure and function of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes. My current research has focused on investigating how histone variant H2A.Z is regulated by the SWR1/INO80 family of chromatin remodeling enzymes in mammalian cells.

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