Sunil Guharajan

Sunil Guharajan is a Research Fellow specializing in transcription factor (TF) biology and its implications for development, differentiation, and disease. He completed his PhD at UMass Chan Medical School under Robert Brewster, where he investigated promoter architecture in E. coli TFs using synthetic biology and thermodynamic modeling. His current research focuses on how TFs shape cellular decisions through contextual use of gene regulatory elements and how quantitative changes in TF dosage affect these processes across cell types.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Molecular Biology/Genetics from UMass Chan Medical School (advisor: Robert Brewster)

Dr. Guharajan's research spans transcription factors, gene regulation, developmental biology, and craniofacial genetics. He employs chemical/genetic perturbations of TFs and high-resolution enhancer mapping to dissect dosage sensitivity mechanisms, with significant implications for understanding craniofacial development and disease. His work bridges quantitative modeling with experimental genomics to uncover fundamental principles of gene regulatory computation.

Analysis of his 2022-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in craniofacial genetics using multi-ethnic GWAS and transcription factor dosage mechanics. Key contributions include identifying pleiotropic genetic architectures for cranial vault shape, developing transfer learning approaches for TF sequence determinants, and demonstrating DNA-guided TF cooperativity in mesenchymal development. His research consistently integrates population genetics with molecular mechanisms to address complex trait architecture.

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