Francesca Cole

Francesca Cole, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. She also holds a dual appointment as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Cole leads the Cole Laboratory, where her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination and DNA repair in the context of meiosis and cancer biology.

• Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
• Director of Trainee Transitions, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis

Dr. Cole’s research is centered on DNA repair pathways, particularly homologous recombination during meiosis, using mouse models to study double-strand break repair, recombination distribution, and genome evolution. Her lab develops and employs high-resolution techniques such as tetrad analysis and deep sequencing to map recombination outcomes and dissect the contributions of various repair pathways in vivo. This work has significant implications for understanding genome instability in cancer and for developing targeted chemotherapies.

Her laboratory has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the NIH Director's New Innovator Award and the Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship. Dr. Cole actively mentors a number of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and summer trainees, several of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. She has advised Ph.D. students such as Rhea Kang and Tolkappiyan Premkumar, whose thesis work contributed significantly to the lab’s research output.

• NIH Director's New Innovator Award
• Andrew Sabin Family Fellow (2021)

Dr. Cole’s lab fosters a collaborative and dynamic environment, supporting trainee development through structured transitions and educational programs. The Cole Laboratory is actively involved in both basic and translational research, aiming to bridge mechanistic insights with potential therapeutic applications in oncology.