Doug Koshland

Doug Koshland is the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Chair in the Biological Sciences and Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on fundamental cell biological processes using budding yeast as a model system. Key areas include higher-order chromosome structure, genome integrity maintenance, and stress tolerance mechanisms. His lab combines in vivo genetic approaches with in vitro biochemical assays to study molecular mechanisms of cohesin complexes and chromosome organization.

Research interests revolve around understanding how SMC complexes like cohesin mediate chromosome structure, DNA repair, and gene expression. Major projects investigate cohesin's roles in loop extrusion, DNA tethering, and its dysfunction in cancer and congenital disorders. Recent work explores the interplay between cohesin's ATPase activity, acetylation regulation, and spatial coordination of condensin during chromosome condensation.

Scientific contributions include groundbreaking discoveries on cohesin's topological entrapment of DNA and its residency patterns in chromatin loops. Awards recognize his pioneering work, including the Goldman Distinguished Chair appointment. His lab’s methodologies bridge genetics and biochemistry, offering insights into both basic biology and human diseases linked to chromosomal instability.