An overall model of chromosomal folding involving CTCF and RNAPII. Zoom-in transverse and longitudinal cross section views. CTCF locate on the surface of chromosome axis core, defining the interphase of the inner condensed (inactive) and the outer open (active) compartment for transcription.
The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), a nonprofit, biomedical research institution, proudly announces that Emaly Piecuch, Ph.D. and Jufen Zhu, Ph.D. are the first two graduates from JAX’s joint doctoral program through the University of Connecticut.
Both Piecuch and Zhu performed their dissertation research at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut.
Emaly Piecuch, Ph.D.
Piecuch, who joined JAX in 2014, studied transcriptional regulation and genomic connectivity in cortical neurons and worked on 3D genome technology development. She particularly enjoyed creating illustrative figures to describe molecular concepts, pictured below. Now armed with a biomedical science Ph.D. in genetics and genomics, her ultimate career goal is to enhance scientific literacy by sharing the magic of science through creative and engaging communication.
While at JAX, Piecuch received authorship on four papers in Cell, Nature Protocols, and Nature and holds a patent for developing assays to study single molecule chromatin interactions. She has lectured about her work at ENCODE and numerous scientific symposiums and has developed original genomic content for middle school and high school students.
She has also contributed to JAX outside of research as a longtime member of the JAX Genomic Medicine social committee, a founding member of the Green Team, and as leader of the craft club.
Piecuch received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Forensic Science from Purdue University.
Jufen Zhu, Ph.D.
Jufen joined JAX in 2014. She studied super-resolution imaging of a distinct chromatin loop in the human cell, 3D genome visualization, and 3D genome organization and gene regulation in breast cancer metastasis. She aims to use her Ph.D. in genetics and genomics to advance therapeutics for disease.
While at JAX, Zhu received co-authorship in Nature, Nature Protocols, and Cell. She gained expertise in next-generation sequencing, microscopy, genome editing, and computational languages, as well as received a poster award at JAX’s department retreat in 2017.
Zhu has a B.E. in bio-engineering from Nanjing Agricultural University and a M.S. in microbiology from Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Jackson Laboratory’s Cooperative Ph.D. TrainingJAX offers Ph.D. students an exceptional opportunity to gain expertise in mammalian genetics and genomics in partnership with our degree-granting partner universities U Conn, Tufts, and U Maine.cooperative Ph.D. programs provide training in mammalian genetics and genomic medicine on our Bar Harbor, Maine, or Farmington, Conn., campuses. Students apply through one of our partner institutions — University of Connecticut, Tufts University, University of Maine — and follow the degree requirements of their host program. Students perform rotations and their thesis research under the supervision of a JAX faculty member on the corresponding JAX campus.