Welcome to the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. Created in 1998, the department offers many exciting opportunities for research and graduate education. The department is located in the state-of-the-art Cell and Genome Sciences Building. The department is also the academic home of the Division of Medical Genetics which provides clinical and laboratory genetics services to Connecticut. Our research strengths include RNA biology, developmental biology, signal transduction, and the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation. We are continually increasing external funding for our current research programs, enhancing the national and international reputation of our faculty and their research, and recruiting outstanding faculty members with new and complementary areas of research expertise. We also have a close working relationship with the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX-GM), and many of JAX-GM faculty have academic appointments in our department. Dr. Brenton R. Graveley, Professor and Chair of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, and PHS Endowed Chair, in Genetics and Developmental Biology; Associate Director, Institute for System Genomics, University of Connecticut.

Day in the life of UConn Health Graduate Student, Megan Callender

June 20, 2026

Meet Megan Callender! Megan is a predoctoral affiliate in the Varn Lab at JAX, earning a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science through UConn Health. Megan's research explores genomics approaches to investigate the impact of aging on brain cancer progression.

Megan is a predoctoral student in the Genetics and Developmental Biology Area of Concentration.  The Genetics and Developmental Biology Area of Concentration within the Biomedical Science Ph.D. program provides students with fundamental interdisciplinary training in modern molecular genetics and developmental biology, emphasizing cellular and molecular aspects as well as tissue interactions.  The concentration prepares students to compete for job opportunities in traditional medical and dental school departments as well as a productive research career in either academia or industry.

The Jackson Laboratory’s Cooperative Ph.D. Program provides training in mammalian genetics, neuroscience and genomic medicine through partnerships with degree-granting academic institutions, including Tufts University School of Medicine, UConn Health and The University of Maine.

For more information, visit Ph.D. Training at JAX

 

 

Dr. Charles Lee Joining UConn School of Medicine as Associate Dean

May 27, 2026

Charles Lee, Ph.D., DSc, FACMG, FRSC, has been recruited to the UConn School of Medicine from The Jackson Laboratory, where he served as the inaugural director of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and helped build one of the nation’s leading programs in translational genomics and human disease research. Lee’s appointment is effective June 26, 2026.

Lee brings to UConn and his new role as Associate Dean of Translational Genomics and Professor of Genetics and Genome Science in the School of Medicine, his rare combination of discovery science, clinical genomics expertise, institutional leadership, and public-health impact as a pioneering human geneticist, clinical cytogeneticist, and academic leader.

More details can be found at UConn Today

 

Winner of the first-ever Tao Rising Stars Award

February 25, 2026

We are pleased to announce the winner of the first-ever Tao Rising Stars Award - Dr. J.D. Beaudoin, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. The Tao Rising Stars Award recognizes a junior faculty member who has outstanding potential to be the next nationally recognized research star from UConn Health.

Dr. Beaudoin's laboratory specializes in RNA structure-function and translational control. As a junior faculty member, Dr. Beaudoin has already achieved independent NIH funding and has published in high-impact journals. He also has displayed a clear commitment to trainee education and mentorship.

More details can be found here

 

Newly Endowed Chairs and Professors Celebrated at UConn School of Medicine

January 28, 2026

Transformative research of UConn medical school faculty Danielle Luciano, Pedro Mendes, Sarah Feldstein Ewing, Guangfu Li, Patrick Murphy, and Xiaoyan Guo, being generously supported by philanthropic donations to UConn’s medical school through the UConn Foundation.

Xiaoyan Guo, Ph.D. joined the School of Medicine in 2022 in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. Guo’s Lab is actively investigating how mitochondria cross talk with the rest of the cell in health and diseases using CRISPR-based functional genomics. Her lab aims to identify potential therapeutic targets for these diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

More details at UConn Today

 

New Vice President of the Gerontological Society of America is from UConn

January 13, 2026

Blanka Rogina, M.S., Ph.D., of the UConn School of Medicine has been newly elected vice president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Rogina will serve a 1-year term in this national leadership position, beginning January 2026.

Rogina serves UConn School of Medicine as professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences and is an affiliated investigator of the UConn Center on Aging. Her research focus is to identify and characterize molecular mechanisms of aging and to find key players that contribute to extended healthspan and longevity—placing her squarely as an expert in gerontology. 

More details at UConn Today