Emma Watson

Dr. Emma Watson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at UMass Chan Medical School, leading a research group focused on cancer chromosome genetics and tumor genome evolution. Her work utilizes forward- and reverse-genetic technologies to model tumor-like genomes and investigate chromosomal abnormalities in breast, renal, and pancreatic cancers. She earned her B.S. in Biophysics from UConn and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UMass Chan, followed by a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Her research explores how cancer chromosomal abnormalities drive pro-growth phenotypes during tumor evolution. Key interests include dissecting tissue-specific tumor aneuploidy patterns, rare cancer fusion oncogene networks, and therapeutic targeting of chromosomal aberrations. The Watson Lab employs high-throughput genetic screens, comparative genomics, and phenotypic profiling to uncover vulnerabilities in cancer genomes.

Publications demonstrate strong trends in cancer systems-genomics, spanning mechanistic studies of metabolic dependencies, chromosomal evolution screens, and CRISPR-based therapeutic strategies. Awards include the 2024 Young Investigator Award from Breast Cancer Alliance. Dr. Watson advises PhD candidates and research associates investigating targeted therapies and fusion oncogene pathogenesis.

The lab maintains active collaborations on metabolic perturbation studies and rare cancer networks. Facilities include advanced genomic tools and imaging resources, with projects extending to neurodegenerative disease models where chromosomal instability intersects with metabolic pathways.