Ophir Shalem

Ophir Shalem, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on developing and applying functional genomics tools to study proteome dynamics in health and neurodegenerative diseases.

• B.Sc. in Computer Science and Biology (Bioinformatics Track), Ben Gurion University
• M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Biology, The Weizmann Institute
• Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute and McGovern Institute (Dr. Feng Zhang)
• Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley (Prof. Andrew Dillin)

Shalem’s lab specializes in CRISPR-based technologies for endogenous protein manipulation, with applications in neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease. His work bridges computational biology and experimental genomics to address protein quality control and stress responses.

Recent publications highlight his leadership in CRISPR screening for unfolded protein responses, aggresome assembly, and alpha-synuclein regulation. His studies often involve iPSC models of neurodevelopmental diseases and mitochondrial stress pathways.

• Kimmel Scholar Award
• Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar in Aging
• Eli and Edythe L. Broad Postdoctoral Fellow
• Helen Hay Whitney Fellow

Shalem’s research emphasizes translational applications, including AAV production optimization and ribosome-associated quality control mechanisms. His team collaborates on international consortia for tracking health status during pandemics.