Molly Gasperini

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Molly Gasperini, Ph.D.

Associate Director, Genome Engineering

Contact Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology Write Team

Bio:

Molly Gasperini joined the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle in 2023. She is currently an Associate Director of Genome Engineering for the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology. She has a long-standing interest in developing novel methods and tools to advance the study of neurogenomics, enhancer biology, and human genetics. Before joining the Allen Institute, Molly was an early scientist at two biotechnology start-ups (Octant Bio, Cajal Neuro), obtained her Ph.D. in Genome Sciences with Jay Shendure at the University of Washington, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology also from the University of Washington.

Research Focus:

Each brain cell carries the sequences for the same set of genes, yet the number of cellular identities in the brain is vast. What gene regulatory mechanisms determine this cellular diversity? I am interested in increasing the throughput by which we study and develop the tools necessary to deconvolve these mechanisms. At the Allen Brain Institute, our team supports and leads viral genetic tool development, cell type characterization via single-cell genomics, and sequencing methods. This work is done with a strong purpose towards creating datasets, tools, and culture that enable the scientific community.

Molly Gasperini, Ph.D.

Science Programs at Allen Institute