Lydia Finley

Lydia Finley is an Associate Professor at the Sloan Kettering Institute, part of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and affiliated with the Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Her research focuses on the interplay between cellular metabolism and cell fate decisions in stem and cancer cells.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of metabolism, epigenetics, and cell identity. The Finley Lab investigates how metabolic pathways, particularly flux through central carbon metabolism, influence chromatin states and gene expression programs that govern self-renewal and differentiation. Her work aims to uncover how metabolic changes contribute to diseases like cancer when differentiation fails. She employs integrated approaches combining genetics, metabolomics, and cell biology to dissect these mechanisms.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on metabolite-driven regulation of cellular identity, with key findings on non-canonical TCA cycle activity, serine and α-ketoglutarate signaling, and metabolic flexibility in pluripotent stem cells. These studies highlight how metabolites serve as signaling molecules linking cellular environment to epigenetic and transcriptional control.

Dr. Finley has received multiple prestigious awards recognizing her as a leading young investigator, including:

• New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigator
• Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research
• Searle Scholar
• Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Award (Damon Runyon)
• Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award

She serves on the editorial boards of eLife and Cancer & Metabolism, contributing to scientific discourse and peer review. While specific advisees are not listed, she is affiliated with the PhD Program in Cell & Developmental Biology, indicating active mentorship of graduate students. Her lab is supported by competitive grants implied by her award portfolio. The Finley Lab is an active research group within the Sloan Kettering Institute, contributing to the broader mission of understanding cancer through fundamental biological mechanisms.