Steven Erik Jacobsen

Steven Erik Jacobsen is a Professor in the Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Biological Chemistry departments at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation, gene regulation, and chromatin dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana and other plant systems.

Dr. Jacobsen's lab investigates how RNA-mediated pathways establish and maintain epigenetic marks, with applications in plant genomics, CRISPR-based editing, and transposable element silencing. His work spans molecular mechanisms, structural biology, and translational efforts in agricultural biotechnology.

• Recent publications highlight innovations in transgene-free genome editing, epigenetic disease resistance, and small RNA pathways in plants.
• His lab employs next-generation sequencing, biochemical assays, and structural modeling to dissect epigenetic regulation.

Funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation, Jacobsen's team includes graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working on projects related to chromatin structure, RNA polymerases, and epigenetic inheritance. The lab actively recruits motivated researchers through UCLA's MBIDP, BioSciences, and Bioinformatics programs.