Dean's Seminar Series: Dr. Geeta Narlikar

The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy is thrilled to host Dr. Geeta Narlikar as a guest speaker during the Dean's Seminar Series. 

Dr. Narlikar is a National Academy member and classic biochemist who has been doing fundamentally important work in understanding the biochemical mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation. 

Dr. Narlikar obtained her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Stanford University and carried out postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. She joined the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF as a faculty member in 2003. She is an expert in the fields of chromatin regulation and genome organization. Her laboratory has pioneered the application of sophisticated biophysical approaches to study the mechanisms of macromolecules that regulate genome organization. Through these studies they are learning (i) how nanoscale molecular motors use chemical energy to cause mechanical disruptions in the packaged genome, (ii) that the smallest unit of genome folding, a nucleosome, acts akin to a dynamic receptor rather than a static packaging unit and, (iii) that liquid-liquid phase separation processes help organize large regions of the genome. These types of discoveries are changing textbook descriptions of genome packaging and suggesting new avenues to tackle diseases caused by defects in genome organization.  

Dr. Narlikar enjoys teaching and mentoring graduate students. She believes that kindling the fire of curiosity within graduate students and consistently supporting their initiative brings out the best in them. 

Dr. Narlikar’s scientific work has been recognized by different awards during her faculty career. These include the Beckman Young Investigator Award (2006), the Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award by the UCSF Graduate Students Association (2011), election to the National Academy of Sciences (2021) and the Kuo Family Endowed Professorship (2023).  

Join via Zoom: https://uky.zoom.us/j/89238772509