Shan Yan

Dr. Shan Yan is a Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). He leads the Genome Integrity and Cancer Initiative (GICI) and co-founded the Charlotte Biology and Biotechnology (CBB) Exchange Group. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms of genome integrity and cancer etiology, supported by NIH (NCI/NIEHS/NIGMS) grants and NCBC funding. Key contributions include discoveries about DNA repair pathways, nucleolar DNA damage responses, and biomolecular condensates' role in genome stability.

Dr. Yan has mentored 13 graduate students, 26 undergraduates, and 4 postdoctoral fellows while maintaining an active editorial role in journals like Journal of Biological Chemistry and Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. Awards include the 2023 EMGS Education Award and 2022 Outstanding Data Science Research Award. His lab uses Xenopus egg extracts and mammalian cell models to study genome stability under oxidative stress and environmental threats, with implications for cancer diagnostics and therapies.

• Education: Postdoctoral training at Harvard University's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Awards: EMGS Education Award (2023), Data Science Research Award (2022)
• Leadership: Board Director (FASEB), Chair (EMGS Awards Committee), NIH Grant Reviewer

Research directions include modulating APE1/PARP1 for BRCA-related cancers and exploring mitochondrial/nucleolar DNA/RNA stability mechanisms. The lab’s work bridges biochemistry, genomics, and computational biology to address unmet clinical needs in oncology and aging.