Johannes Frank

Prof. Johannes Frank is an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), leading the Plant Epigenomics lab (JLAB) within the TUM School of Life Sciences. His research focuses on understanding chromatin-based mechanisms of genome regulation and epigenetic inheritance in plants. He investigates how epigenetic variation arises, stabilizes across generations, and influences agriculturally and evolutionarily relevant traits, with a long-term goal of applying this knowledge to improve crops.

Frank received his PhD from Pennsylvania State University in statistical genetics and held postdoctoral positions at CNRS (France) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands). He joined TUM as the Rudolf Mössbauer Professor at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS) and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022. His work combines bioinformatics with high-throughput molecular data to study epigenetic dynamics in plant populations, including long-lived species like trees.

Key research areas include the molecular properties of epimutation hotspots, somatic mutation rates in perennial plants, and the role of epigenetic variation in stress adaptation. His lab explores tools like deep learning for predicting 3D chromatin interactions and integrates genomic/epigenomic data to infer population histories. Recent findings highlight the impact of growth rates and environmental stress on epigenetic stability.

Frank collaborates globally, contributing to projects like the *Populus trichocarpa* genome assembly and the identification of genetic modifiers of epimutation rates. His work bridges fundamental epigenetic mechanisms with applied agricultural and ecological outcomes, emphasizing the role of epigenetics in plant adaptation and resilience.