Binyam Mogessie

Binyam Mogessie is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University. He is affiliated with the Yale Cancer Center, Yale Stem Cell Center, and serves on the Yale WRHR Advisory Committee. His research program focuses on the cytoskeletal and chromosomal mechanisms that ensure accurate chromosome segregation during oocyte meiosis and early embryogenesis, with particular emphasis on their links to reproductive aging.

Dr. Mogessie earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Jacobs University Bremen in Germany, followed by a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of London. His doctoral research was conducted at the Marie Curie Research Institute in Surrey and the Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology in Warwick, where he studied microtubule cytoskeleton organization. He completed postdoctoral training at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen, where he made his groundbreaking discovery of actin's role in chromosome segregation during female meiosis.

His lab investigates how the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons interact in space and time to drive accurate chromosome segregation and cellular organization. Based on discoveries of new cellular structures impacted by maternal aging, the lab is investigating how cytoskeletal dysfunction at advanced reproductive ages predisposes eggs and embryos to chromosomal abnormalities. The research employs advanced microscopy assays and targeted protein degradation tools to interrogate cell division mechanisms in mammalian oocytes and embryos.

Dr. Mogessie's publication record shows consistent high-impact contributions to reproductive biology, with a focus shifting toward understanding the molecular mechanisms of reproductive aging in recent years. His work bridges fundamental cell biology with clinical implications for human fertility, particularly the age-related decline in egg quality.

• SSR Rising Star 2025 from Society for the Study of Reproduction
• Pew Scholar from The Pew Charitable Trusts (2024)
• Vallee Scholar from The Vallee Foundation (2024)
• Emerging Investigator Award from Society for Reproduction and Fertility (2023)
• Young Investigator from Human Frontier Science Program (2021)
• Cell Scientist to Watch from Journal of Cell Science (2021)
• Sir Henry Dale Fellow from Wellcome Trust and Royal Society (2019)

Dr. Mogessie actively mentors students through Yale's Biological and Biomedical Sciences program and the Stem Cell Center. His lab has received substantial funding through prestigious awards including the Pew Scholarship and Vallee Scholarship, supporting research into the fundamental mechanisms of female meiosis and early embryogenesis. He serves on editorial boards for several leading cell biology journals and is engaged with professional societies including the American Society for Cell Biology.

The Mogessie Lab applies innovative approaches to study cytoskeletal organization in mammalian eggs and embryos, with the mission to 'illuminate the molecular origins of human infertility and female reproductive aging.' The lab continues to make significant contributions to understanding how cytoskeletal dysfunction contributes to age-related declines in reproductive capacity.