{"id":21,"date":"2016-07-12T21:18:06","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T01:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:30:50","slug":"faculty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>

Marnie E. Halpern, PhD<\/h3>\n

Andrew Thomson, Jr., MD 1946 Professor<\/em>
\nChair and Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and IND<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Yashi Ahmed, MD, PhD<\/h3>\n

Oscar M. Cohn Professor in the Department of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nA Drosophila model for signaling by the APC tumor suppressor and beta-catenin oncogene.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Ahmed's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Giovanni Bosco, PhD<\/h3>\n

Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nGenetics and molecular biology of chromosome dynamics, chromatin, and epigenetics.
\nProgram Affiliation:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Bosco's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Michael D. Cole, PhD<\/h3>\n

Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nMolecular basis of cancer; transcription factors; mechanisms of chromosome-mediated transcriptional control; target genes for oncogenic pathways.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Cole's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Jay C. Dunlap, PhD<\/h3>\n

Nathan Smith Professor of Genetics<\/em>
\nProfessor of Molecular and Systems Biology and Biochemistry and Cell Biology<\/em>
\nMolecular genetics of the circadian biological clock in N. crassa and in mammals; fungal photobiology
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS
\nDr. Dunlap's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Scott A. Gerber, PhD<\/h3>\n

Kenneth E. and Carol L. Weg Distinguished Professor<\/em>
\nProfessor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nQuantitative Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS
\nDr. Gerber's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Allan T. Gulledge, PhD<\/h3>\n

Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nCellular neurophysiology of the cerebral cortex, with emphasis on understanding signal integration and transmission within individual neurons.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and IND
\nDr. Gulledge's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Dionna M. Kasper, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nThe Kasper Lab investigates the developmental mechanisms governing the vascular and hematopoietic systems in health and disease. We use a combination of live imaging, genetic and biochemical approaches, and high-throughput 'omic' technologies in the zebrafish to dissect how epigenetic to posttranslational gene regulatory mechanisms control key cell fate decisions.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Steven Leach, MD<\/h3>\n

Preston T. and Virginia R. Kelsey Distinguished Chair in Cancer<\/em>
\nInterim Dean of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth<\/em>
\nProfessor of Molecular and System Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Leach's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Aaron McKenna, PhD<\/h3>\n

Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nMy lab is interested in how cells grow and divide to form complex structures, such as the transformation from the zygote to an adult human or from a transformed cell into a tumor mass. To study these processes, we develop technologies to trace pattern of cell divisions which recovers the lineage of each cell. This information can be combined with other measures of cell state such as single-cell transcriptomic data to develop a rich picture of how choices are made in development and how this process is dysregulated in diseases such as cancer.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS
\nDr. McKenna's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Esteban Orellana, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nEsteban investigates whether changes in the chemical modification (also known as the epitranscriptome) of RNA molecules play a role in the development of human cancers. In all cells, RNAs perform a variety of functions, including synthesizing proteins. While messenger RNAs (mRNAs) provide the instructions for producing a protein, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) \"read\" the information in that message and supply the necessary amino acid building blocks. To function properly, these transfer RNAs must fold into the correct three-dimensional shape, a process that requires the RNA to be chemically modified. Owing to their high cellular abundance and stability, tRNAs have been commonly considered to be housekeeping molecules. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that tRNAs are highly regulated, and that even small changes in their abundance or their nucleotide modification levels can have profound effects, leading to aberrant translation, changes in protein expression, and disease states. The tRNA epitranscriptome and the functional tRNA pool have emerged as important regulatory layers in the translation of the human genome. However, our current understanding of the functional tRNA pool is limited. Therefore, the focus of the Orellana Lab is to study the causes and effects of tRNA dysregulation in human disease and to use this knowledge to develop tRNA-based therapeutics and diagnosis.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Orellana\u2019s Lab\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Chengxiang Qiu, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nDr. Qiu's research focuses on single-cell genomics, human disease genetics, and mammalian development, leveraging computational methods to investigate how cell differentiation and lineage commitment are orchestrated through gene expression, with the goal of uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying normal human development and developmental disorders, particularly neurodevelopmental disorders.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS
\nDr. Qiu's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Lauren Walker, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nFrank and Myra Weiser Scholar in the Neurosciences
\nThe Walker lab uses a zebrafish model to study how motor neurons find their correct muscle targets to enable coordinated movement. We use a combination of genetics, molecular biology, live imaging, and transcriptomics to understand how neurons interact with cells and signals in their environment to form appropriate connections during development and regeneration.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and IND
\nDr. Walker's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Xiaofeng Wang, PhD<\/h3>\n

Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nEpigenetic mechanisms of chromatin remodeling complex in cancer development; using genetic and chemical screens to identify specific vulnerabilities for cancer therapeutics.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB
\nDr. Wang\u2019s Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Hermes H. Yeh, PhD<\/h3>\n

William W. Brown 1835 Memorial Professor of Physiology and Neurobiology in the Department of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProfessor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nCellular and molecular mechanisms of neuroreceptor interactions and plasticity in the adult and developing CNS.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and IND
\nDr. Yeh's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n

Secondary Faculty Appointments in the Molecular and Systems Biology Department<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>

Erika T. Brown, PhD<\/h3>\n

Dean of Faculty Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Brock Christensen, PhD<\/h3>\n

Professor of Epidemiology and<\/em>
\nProfessor of Community and Family Medicine<\/em>
\nProfessor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

H. Robert Frost, PhD<\/h3>\n

Associate Professor of Biomedical Data Science<\/em>
\nAssociate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliation:<\/strong> MCB<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Jennifer Hong, MD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Surgery<\/em>
\nAssistant Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliation:<\/strong> IND<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Alexander Skorput, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Neurology<\/em>
\nAssistant Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and IND<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>

Michael L. Whitfield, PhD<\/h3>\n

Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology<\/em>
\nChair and Professor of Biomedical Data Science
\nDNA microarrays; Genome-wide analysis of gene expression in growth and proliferation; Expression profiling of scleroderma.
\nProgram Affiliations:<\/strong> MCB and QBS
\nDr. Whitfield's Lab<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Secondary Faculty Appointments in the Molecular and Systems Biology Department<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/template-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","author-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":94,"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1740,"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/1740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/msb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}