Christine Mayr

Christine Mayr is a Full Professor at the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School and Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and a full member of the Sloan Kettering Institute at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She leads the Mayr Lab, which investigates how mRNA organization in the cytoplasm controls protein conformation and function, particularly through membraneless organelles like TIS granules and the FXR1 network.

Her research focuses on RNA processing, transcription factor assembly during translation, and stem cell differentiation. The lab explores how mRNA architecture — including exon length and 3′UTR-bound proteins — regulates the location of protein synthesis and, consequently, protein function. Key areas include the assembly rules of cytoplasmic condensate networks and how mRNA environments influence enzymatic activity and transcription factor conformations.

The lab's recent work reveals that over 20% of cytoplasmic mRNAs are organized into specialized compartments that enhance mRNA accessibility and alter protein folding. These findings have broad implications for gene regulation, development, and cancer. Publications consistently emphasize themes in RNA biology, spatial gene regulation, and phase-separated organelles.

Scientific Awards:

• Science Signaling Breakthrough (2013)
• Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award (2013)
• Cell Scientist to Watch (2015)
• Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research (2015)
• NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2016)
• Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Basic Research (2019)
• Member of the Editorial Board of Cell (2020)

Dr. Mayr advises students in the Cell & Developmental Biology PhD program and leads a research team investigating fundamental mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation. Her lab has received major funding, including the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, supporting innovative, high-impact research. Current projects span mRNA organization, 3′UTR regulation, and the biophysics of cytoplasmic condensates.

The Mayr Lab is at the forefront of understanding how spatial control of translation shapes protein function, with implications for cancer biology and developmental disorders.