Joseph Harrison

Joseph Harrison is an Associate Professor at Pacific University, actively engaged in research and education within the biomedical sciences. His work bridges epigenetic mechanisms with broader implications in development and disease, and he advocates for science outreach through inquiry-driven pedagogy.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2011)
  • B.S., Syracuse University (2004)

Harrison specializes in epigenetics, particularly focusing on histone ubiquitylation and its interplay with DNA methylation (DNAme). His research explores how these post-translational modifications regulate gene expression and contribute to pathological states like cancer, where dysregulation of DNAme patterns is a hallmark.

His 2016 study (Harrison et al., eLife) established a critical link between histone ubiquitylation and DNAme, advancing understanding of epigenetic regulation in carcinogenesis. This work intersects fields such as molecular biology, genetics, and cancer biology, with subfields including chromatin dynamics, methylation patterning, and therapeutic epigenetics.