Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University
👋🏾 Hi, I’m Alex - a biologist interested in the molecular details of how genomes interact with their physical world.
Generally speaking, I’m a genomicist with a strong background in both molecular biology and computational analysis. I have worked in a wide range of model systems including mice, human cell culture, C. elegans, and fruit flies. Questions that excite me are typically asked about molecular mechanisms of gene regulation. My PhD work indicates that heterochromatic H3K9 methylation and HP1a are required to maintain global 3D genome organization.
Now in my postdoctoral research at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute, I study the molecular details of Lemarckian inheritance, or the ways that a parent’s experiences influence the biology and behavior of their children.
↓ Check out the publications I’ve been a part of below! You can click on each one to learn more.
One of my favorite parts about biology is the wide variety of biological contexts we can study. My experiences have led me to work with a wide variety of organisms, some of which can be seen below.
In my PhD work, I use study D. melanogaster imaginal discs, which are tiny organs inside larvae that will eventually develop into adult appendages, such as the wing or the leg. Here, we’re looking at a wing imaginal disc treated with DNA-staining dye and fluorescently-tagged antibodies to a nuclear protein.
My first paper studied a transcription-independent role for a transcription factor in C. elegans. These nematodes are an excellent model system- their bodies are transparent, they can easily be genetically modified, and egg-laying animals are hermaphrodites, which means they can clone themselves! This video I filmed highlights another major benefit to studying C. elegans: they have highly predictable developmental patterns. Here, you can watch one of the animal’s earliest cell divisions!
https://youtu.be/K1ZqQW6Xe8I?si=f0qZC12wG5pUo1pb
In 2020, I joined Front Line Genomics for an interview about how I came to be a scientist and why I founded Black In Genetics. You can check out the youtube video below or read the transcript here: https://frontlinegenomics.com/a-spotlight-on-black-in-genetics-alexis-stutzman-and-markia-smith/
Scientist Spotlight: Alexis Stutzman
One of my dear friends and lab mates wrote an article that spotlights my story and highlights the work of Black In Genetics.