Courtney C. Babbitt

Courtney C. Babbitt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with additional affiliation to the Commonwealth Honors College. Her research is centered in evolutionary genomics, focusing on gene regulation, cis-regulatory evolution, and phenotypic differences between humans and non-human primates.

• B.A., Columbia University, 1999
• Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2005
• Postdoctoral Training, Duke University, 2006–2013

Her research integrates computational and experimental approaches to study genome-wide changes in gene expression, noncoding RNA, and enhancer activity, particularly in neural and metabolic contexts across primates. She investigates how regulatory evolution shapes phenotypic innovation, with a focus on brain development and function.

Recent publications highlight trends in primate brain gene expression, metabolic differences in neural cell types, and the functional evolution of regulatory elements. Her work frequently employs comparative genomics in human, chimpanzee, and other primates, using fibroblasts, neural progenitor cells, and brain tissues.

While no personal scientific awards are listed, her students have received recognitions such as the Henry Little Award, UMass 21st Century Leadership Award, and travel awards for conference presentations, reflecting strong mentorship.

• Katie Rickelton – Outstanding Student Presentation, AABA 2025
• Rithvik – Henry Little Award in BMB
• Chiruza – UMass 21st Century Leadership Award

Dr. Babbitt actively advises graduate students and leads the Babbitt Lab for Evolutionary Genomics, which uses high-throughput sequencing and functional genomics to explore the genotype-to-phenotype map. The lab has secured ongoing research activity as evidenced by recent publications and student involvement. Current projects include functional testing of rapidly evolving cis-regulatory regions and comparative analyses of brain metabolism and extracellular matrix heterogeneity.

The Babbitt Lab is located in Morrill Science Center III at UMass Amherst, with active research in neural cell type-specific gene expression, astrocyte activation, and evolutionary transcriptomics. The lab fosters a collaborative environment integrating bioinformatics and wet-lab techniques to address fundamental questions in evolutionary biology.