Jennifer E. Cremins is an Associate Professor and Deans' Distinguished Scholar in Engineering and Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with primary appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and secondary appointment in Genetics. She leads the Cremins Laboratory, which works at the spatial biology-technology interface to investigate the structure-function relationship of connections across the scales of chromatin, synapses, and circuits in the developing and diseased mammalian brain. Dr. Cremins' research focuses on understanding how the genome's three-dimensional architecture influences neural development, function, and disease. Her lab has made foundational contributions to elucidating chromatin's higher-order folding patterns at kilobase-resolution during neural lineage commitment, maturation, activity stimulation, and in neurological disorders. The lab's work bridges chromatin folding, synaptic plasticity, and neurophysiology to elucidate how the genome's structure-function relationship influences synaptic defects in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Analysis of Dr. Cremins' recent publications reveals a strong focus on the relationship between chromatin architecture and neurological disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease, fragile X syndrome, and autism spectrum disorders. Her work increasingly integrates computational approaches with experimental techniques to study genome organization at single-cell resolution, with significant emphasis on the role of short tandem repeat expansions in neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Cremins' laboratory has received significant recognition through numerous scientific awards and fellowships: Deans' Distinguished Scholar in Engineering and Medicine Funding from New York Stem Cell Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Support from National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIMH, NINDS) Grants from Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funding from Cure Huntington's Disease Initiative, NIH 4D Nucleome Common Fund As an educator and mentor, Dr. Cremins has developed the SEEDS (Summer Exploration in Epigenetics and Data Science) program, a four-year interdisciplinary training program for undergraduates. All 15 graduates of her SEEDs/SEEDs-BRIDGE programs remain in scientific careers, including PhD programs at MIT and UPenn, MD-PhD programs at Mayo, UCSF, and NYU, and MD programs at various institutions. She also develops structured active learning courses focused on statistics, probability, and coding for spatial epigenetics data analysis. The Cremins Laboratory maintains a vibrant research environment with multiple postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers working at the intersection of chromatin biology, neuroscience, and computational genomics. The lab is particularly known for its work on the 4D nucleome and its relationship to neurological disorders, using cutting-edge techniques like Oligopaints imaging and developing computational tools like FISHnet for analyzing chromatin architecture.
