Chris Fromme

Chris Fromme is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology at Cornell University. He holds a B.A. in Biology (Cornell, 1999), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Harvard, 2004), and completed postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley (Miller Institute Fellow). His research focuses on Golgi complex regulation, particularly the roles of Rab and Arf GTPases in vesicle trafficking and organelle homeostasis. Recent work employs structural biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to uncover molecular mechanisms of GTPase activation and crosstalk.

Education:

• B.A. in Biology, Cornell University (1999)
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Harvard University (2004)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Berkeley (Miller Institute, with Randy Schekman)

Research Interests:

• Regulation of Golgi trafficking via GTPases (Rab/Arf)
• Mechanisms of GEF autoinhibition and crosstalk
• Structural basis for Golgi membrane dynamics
• Organelle communication and homeostasis

Awards:

• Robert H. Foote Mid-Career Teaching Award (2021)
• Mentor of the Year (SREB, 2018)
• Guggenheim Fellowship (2016)

Lab Activities:

• Current lab members include graduate students (Anna Allen, Qingqing Huang) and postdocs (Ryan Vignogna)
• Hosts annual lab retreats and collaborates internationally
• Lab focuses on cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and live-cell imaging

Courses Taught: BioMG 1350 (Cell & Developmental Biology), BMCB graduate courses.