Berenice A. Benayoun

Bérénice Benayoun, PhD is an Associate Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, with secondary appointments in the Department of Molecular and Computational Biology (USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences) and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research bridges aging biology, epigenetics, and sex differences using vertebrate models like the African turquoise killifish and machine learning.

• Education: École Normale Supérieure (BSc, MSc), Paris Diderot-Paris 7 University (PhD in Genetics and Cell Biology)

Her lab investigates epigenome and transcriptome remodeling during aging, focusing on how biological sex influences these processes. Key themes include inflamm-aging, genomic instability, and immune senescence, with applications in neurodegeneration and reproductive longevity.

Recent publications highlight sex-dimorphic gene regulation in neutrophils, macrophages, and brain aging, alongside novel insights into transposable elements and MOTS-c mitochondrial signaling. She pioneers the use of single-cell transcriptomics and multi-omics in aging research.

Scientific awards include:

• 2024 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research Award
• 2023 AGHE Rising Star Early Career Faculty Award
• 2023 USC Mentoring Award
• 2023 Rising Star in Reproductive Biology
• 2021 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award
• 2019 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award

Her editorial roles include Geroscience, Translational Medicine of Aging, and eLife. She mentors students across PhD programs in Biology of Aging, Neuroscience, and Molecular Medicine, as well as Master's and undergraduate trainees.