Christian Tschudi

Christian Tschudi is the John Rodman Paul Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, within the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. He is also affiliated with the Yale Institute for Global Health, the Center for RNA Science and Medicine, and the Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). His research is centered on the biology of trypanosomes, the causative agents of African sleeping sickness and nagana, with a focus on understanding the molecular basis of pathogen infectivity.

Dr. Tschudi’s research interests span genomics, parasitic diseases, RNA interference, tropical medicine, and trypanosomiasis. His laboratory employs advanced bioinformatics and genetic techniques to dissect parasite-specific functions, particularly in RNA metabolism and gene regulation. A major focus is on the transcriptome of Trypanosoma brucei, where his team has developed high-throughput RNA-Seq protocols and generated comprehensive transcript maps at single-nucleotide resolution. This work has uncovered novel genes, regulatory RNAs, and mechanisms involved in developmental transitions and host adaptation.

The recent articles highlight a strong trend in RNA biology, gene regulation, and developmental mechanisms in trypanosomes. His team investigates long non-coding RNAs, RNA modifications, RNA-binding proteins, and nuclear organization in the context of infectivity. These studies are crucial for identifying potential drug targets and understanding the basic biology of these neglected pathogens.

• Elected member, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (2020)
• John Rodman Paul Professorship, Yale University (2016)
• Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (2014)
• Honorary Master of Arts Degree, Yale University (2013)
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund New Investigator Award in Molecular Parasitology (2000)
• Research Project Award in Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, MacArthur Foundation (1984)
• James Hudson Brown-Alexander B. Coxe Fellowship, Yale School of Medicine (1982)
• Pre-doctoral Fellowship, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (1981)
• Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation (1978)

Dr. Tschudi has been actively involved in mentoring and scientific service. He co-directs an NIH-sponsored Global Infectious Disease Training Program (D43) in translational research on leishmaniasis and emerging infectious diseases. He has served on numerous NIH study sections, including as a member of the NIAID Board of Scientific Counselors (2011–2017), and as an ad-hoc member in 2019 and 2020. He also serves on editorial boards of journals such as mBio, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology.

His laboratory is part of the Center for RNA Science and Medicine at Yale, reflecting his deep engagement with RNA-centric research. He collaborates extensively with experts in the field, including Dr. Serap Aksoy (Yale) on tsetse fly vector biology and Dr. Shulamit Michaeli (Bar Ilan University) on RNA modification. His work is supported by NIH grants and aims to identify candidate molecules for chemotherapy against trypanosomatid diseases.