Alexei A. Aravin
Professor, Molecular Biology and Genetics
Academic focus:
Non-coding RNA, chromatin, genome defense and jumping genes
Current research project:
In my lab, we seek to understand how defense systems operate across different organisms from bacteria to human. We study molecular mechanisms of non-coding RNA biogenesis and their function in regulation of gene expression. We use our knowledge of natural defense mechanisms to adapt them for genome and epigenome engineering applications. We study the link between chromatin and transcription and the post-transcriptional fate of RNA. We explore the hypothesis that chromatin marks and co-transcriptional events direct the fates of different transcripts. We work to understand the role that transposons (genetic parasites) play in evolution, normal development and diseases states such as cancer.
Previous positions:
- Professor, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2016-2025
- Assistant Professor, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2010-2016
- Senior Fellow, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, 2008-2009
- Postdoctoral fellow, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, 2006-2008
- Postdoctoral fellow, Rockefeller University, 2004-2006
Academic background:
- Ph.D., Institute of Molecular Genetics/Moscow State University, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 2002
- M.Sc., Department of Molecular Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 1998
- B.S., Department of Molecular Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 1997
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