Scott Keeney

Scott Keeney, PhD, is a Member of the Molecular Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Sloan Kettering Institute, an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2008, and the Frederick R. Adler Chair at MSKCC. A leading authority on meiotic recombination, he investigates how programmed DNA double-strand breaks are generated, regulated, and repaired during gametogenesis.

Education: PhD, University of California, Berkeley.

Research Focus: The Keeney laboratory combines biochemical, structural, and genetic approaches to dissect the molecular choreography of meiotic recombination. Central projects include:

• Mechanism and regulation of Spo11-dependent DSB formation in budding yeast and mouse meiosis.
• Structure–function analysis of the Spo11 core complex and its auxiliary factors (Rec114–Mei4, ANKRD31, etc.).
• Topoisomerase II biology: how chemotherapeutic inhibitors convert Topo II into a DNA-damaging agent and the cellular responses that ensue.

Recent Publication Trends: Over 2020-2025 the group has produced a steady stream of high-impact papers combining cryo-EM, mouse genetics, and genomics to illuminate (i) atomic-level views of Spo11–DNA complexes, (ii) chromatin remodelers that license DSB resection, and (iii) in vitro reconstitution of the entire Spo11-dependent DSB reaction.

Scientific Honors & Awards:

• Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2008)
• Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (2014)
• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017)
• Frederick R. Adler Chair, MSKCC (2017)
• Member, US National Academy of Sciences (2020)

Mentoring & Training: The Keeney lab has trained numerous postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, many now in independent positions worldwide. Current trainees include MSK Bridge Program scholars, graduate students from the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School, and research technicians supported by HHMI and NIH funds.

Laboratory & Affiliations: The lab is housed within SKI’s state-of-the-art research tower and is affiliated with the Molecular Biology Program, the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and HHMI. Core facilities provide access to cryo-EM, high-throughput sequencing, and advanced mouse husbandry resources.