William Greenleaf

William Greenleaf is a Professor in the Genetics Department at Stanford University School of Medicine with a courtesy appointment in Applied Physics. He is affiliated with Bio-X, the Biophysics Program, Biomedical Informatics Program, Stanford Cancer Institute, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, and Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI).

Education:

• AB in Physics, Harvard University (2002)
• Diploma in Computer Science, Trinity College, Cambridge University (2003)
• PhD in Applied Physics, Stanford University (2008)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University

His interdisciplinary research bridges molecular biology, computer science, bioengineering, and genomics to understand how the physical state of the genome controls gene regulation. The lab focuses on developing high-throughput sequencing tools and advanced microscopy techniques to study genome structure-function relationships, chromatin organization, and epigenetic regulation in health and disease.

His publications primarily focus on chromatin architecture, cancer genomics, single-cell analysis, and biophysical methods. Recent work explores 3D genome organization in colorectal cancer, RNA structural biophysics, mitochondrial genomics, and evolutionary tradeoffs in aging.

Awards:

• Arc Institute Innovation Investigator (2023)
• NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2023)
• Chan-Zuckerberg Investigator (2017-2022)
• Baxter Foundation Faculty Fellow (2014)
• Rita Allen Scholar (2011)
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellowship (2009-2011)
• ARCS Fellowship (2006)
• NSF Graduate Fellowship (2003-2005)
• Gates Cambridge Trust Scholar (2002-2003)

He advises 31+ doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers across genetics, biophysics, and bioengineering programs. As principal investigator of the Greenleaf Lab, he leads teams developing novel genomic technologies and studying chromatin dynamics. The lab's long-term goal is to decode the physical 'regulome' controlling cellular state transitions.