Angela Stathopoulos

Angela Stathopoulos is a Professor in the Division of Biology & Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she has led her research laboratory for 18 years. She also serves as the Director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, a position she has held since 2024.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from the University of California (1992)
• Ph.D. from Stanford University (1998), where she studied calcium signaling and calcineurin phosphatase regulated gene expression under Martha Cyert
• Postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley in Mike Levine's laboratory, using Drosophila as a model system to study transcriptional regulation

Dr. Stathopoulos employs a systems-level approach to study embryonic development, integrating cis-regulatory and cell biological data with quantitative measures. Her research focuses on how transcription factors and signaling pathways influence cells to regulate changes in cell shape and form during development. She has made significant contributions to understanding transcriptional regulation, embryonic patterning, and collective cell migration, particularly with the identification of the caudal visceral mesoderm (CVM) as a new collective cell migration model system. Her lab recently incorporated optogenetic approaches to study the dynamic action of transcription factors.

The collective body of her recent publications demonstrates a strong focus on developmental mechanisms in Drosophila, with particular emphasis on transcriptional regulation, enhancer function, and cell migration. Her work spans multiple techniques including genetics, biochemistry, live in vivo imaging, and quantitative analysis, reflecting her systems biology approach to developmental questions.

Dr. Stathopoulos leads the Stathopoulos Lab at Caltech, which maintains active research programs in embryonic gene expression, enhancer action, fibroblast growth factors, and cell migration. The lab website indicates ongoing investigations into the timing of embryonic gene expression, coordinate action of enhancers, individual functions of fibroblast growth factors, and collective cell migration mechanisms.