Research Interests
Gary Karpen is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and a Senior Faculty Scientist at Berkeley Lab. His research leverages interdisciplinary approaches to understand how nanoscale molecular interactions generate dynamic nuclear domains and genomic compartments, and how this mesoscale organization impacts cellular and organismal functions. His lab’s recent work on biocondensates, membraneless ‘bodies’ formed by phase separation or similar biophysical mechanisms, has benefitted from integrating experimental biology with collaborators’ expertise in physics theory. His Miller Professorship will be focused on using experiment:theory synergy to determine how biocondensate molecules evolve in response to different environmental conditions.
