معرفی
Stirling Churchman, Ph.D., is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and leads the Churchman Lab within the Blavatnik Institute. Her work integrates experimental and computational approaches to dissect the multiple layers of gene regulation, spanning transcription, RNA processing, and translation in both nuclear and mitochondrial systems.
Education: While specific degrees are not detailed in the provided text, Dr. Churchman’s extensive publication record and faculty position at Harvard Medical School indicate advanced graduate and postdoctoral training in molecular biology and genomics.
Research Interests:
- Nascent RNA dynamics: Using NET-seq and nanopore direct RNA sequencing to capture transcription and co-transcriptional processing at single-nucleotide resolution.
- Mitochondrial gene expression: Investigating how mitochondrial transcription and translation are synchronized with nuclear programs to maintain respiratory chain homeostasis.
- Chromatin architecture & single-molecule genomics: Employing Fiber-seq to visualize RNA polymerases and chromatin structure along native DNA fibers up to 30 kb in length.
- Post-transcriptional splicing kinetics: Quantifying intron removal dynamics in living cells to understand fidelity and timing of mRNA maturation.
Across more than 60 publications (2011-2025), a clear trend emerges: Dr. Churchman develops cutting-edge sequencing technologies and applies them to fundamental questions in gene expression. Recent work (2024-2025) highlights a shift toward mitochondrial biology, antibiotic action on mitoribosomes, and the global quantification of RNA flow across cellular compartments.
Scientific Awards & Honors:
Specific named awards are not listed in the provided text; however, her continuous funding, high-impact publications, and professorial appointment at Harvard Medical School reflect significant peer recognition.
Laboratory & Team:
The Churchman Lab is located in the New Research Building at Harvard Medical School (Blavatnik Institute, Room 356). The team is interdisciplinary, combining expertise in biology, physics, chemistry, and computation to pursue integrative studies of gene regulation.
Funding & Grants:
While explicit grant numbers are not provided, the sustained productivity, large team, and resource-intensive technologies (e.g., nanopore sequencing, cryo-EM collaborations) indicate substantial and ongoing extramural funding from NIH and other agencies.
