Mitch McVey

Mitch McVey is a Professor of Biology and a member of the Graduate Biomedical Sciences program at Tufts University, School of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on DNA repair mechanisms in Drosophila, particularly alternative end joining and damage tolerance pathways. He leads a lab with a team of researchers including PhD students, postdocs, and undergraduates. McVey has held academic positions at Tufts since 2005, progressing from Assistant to Associate Professor before becoming a full Professor in 2017.

• Education: PhD in Biology from MIT (2001), BA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from University of Colorado Boulder (1994).
• Research: Investigates DNA repair pathways, including mechanisms of double-strand break repair and the role of DNA polymerase theta. Collaborates on projects involving gut microbiome effects on lifespan, DNA damage as a stress biomarker in birds, and antioxidant responses to antidepressants.

His lab's research highlights error-prone repair pathways' roles in cancer and aging. Key findings include identifying polymerase theta's role in alternative end joining and demonstrating translesion synthesis as a primary damage tolerance strategy in rapidly dividing tissues. Current projects explore REV1’s regulatory roles and interventions to enhance healthspan.

Grants & Awards: Funded by NIH, NSF, and Ellison Foundation. Recognitions include AAAS Fellowship (2023), Lerman-Neubauer Teaching Prize (2020), and Tufts Mentoring Awards. His work spans genetics, molecular biology, and interdisciplinary collaborations with ecology and microbiology.

Labs & Teams: Leads the McVey Lab at Tufts, co-directs the IRACDA postdoctoral training program, and collaborates with labs at Boston University and other institutions on healthspan extension and stress biomarker studies.