Kenneth J. Marians

Kenneth J. Marians is a Professor and holds the William E. Snee Chair at the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, part of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His research focuses on understanding DNA replication mechanisms and chromosome dynamics.

Education:

• B.S., Chemistry, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1972
• Ph.D., Biochemistry, Cornell University, 1976
• Postdoctoral, Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1976-1978

Dr. Marians' research centers on the events that occur when the replisome (the multi-component enzyme machine that replicates chromosomal DNA) encounters blockages to replication fork progression, and the mechanisms by which chromosomes are condensed and separated during cell division. His laboratory uses systems reconstituted with purified replication proteins and specialized templates to study these processes. Notably, he has recently shifted his primary focus from using bacterial proteins to using human proteins to develop these in vitro systems.

His work has revealed important insights into replication fork stalling, lesion bypass, replication restart, and chromosome compaction mechanisms. His research on chromosome condensation and segregation utilizes a combination of biochemical, cell biological, and molecular genetic approaches.

Scientific Awards:

• William E. Snee Chair, 1998
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences MERIT Award, 2006
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2006
• Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2015
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences Outstanding Investigator Award, 2018
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Research, 2019
• D. Sc., honoris causa, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2019
• Member, American Academy of Microbiology, 2021

Dr. Marians has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to successful careers in science. His laboratory has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, including prestigious MERIT and Outstanding Investigator Awards.

His current research explores how the human replisome deals with replication obstacles, with implications for understanding genome instability in cancer and other diseases.