Brian Strahl receives NIH and NSF grants to study gene expression

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Strahl, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics for receiving grants from the NIH and NSF

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have given Dr. Brian Strahl grants to study the basic functions of gene regulation in the context of chromatin (DNA that is compacted by the action of histone proteins). One grant is centered on the role of histone chaperones, which are proteins that insert or remove histones in the chromatin environment, and the other is on how enzymes that modify histones with chemical “tags” or post-translational modifications regulate the opening and closing of chromatin to make the DNA assessable for gene transcription. These grants will significantly advance our understanding of gene expression.

Brian Strahl obtained his PhD in 1998 from North Carolina State University before performing his postdoctoral studies with Dr. C. David Allis at the University of Virginia. In 2001, Brian joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his group has been addressing how the chemical “tags” on histones influence the structure and function of chromatin. Dr. Strahl’s scientific contributions have been recognized with a number of awards, including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the ASBMB Schering-Plough Research Institute Award for outstanding research contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology.

Link to Strahl Lab.

About drbrianstrahl

Brian David Strahl, a Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), started his research lab in 2001. His research areas include cancer biology, epigenetics and gene regulation. At UNC, Dr. Strahl provides instruction to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in his laboratory. Over the years, Brian Strahl has received a number of important awards for his work in the field of gene expression and epigenetics. In 2009, he received the Ruth and Phillip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement from UNC. In 2008, the National Institutes of Health awarded him a EUREKA (Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration). His alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, awarded him a Young Alumni Award in 2006 for scientific achievement. Brian Strahl has also won the ASBMB Schering-Plough Research Institute Award, a major biomedical award. In 2003, Dr. Strahl was honored by the White House for his achievements and was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In 2004, Brian was a PEW Scholar in Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Strahl is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Microbiology and the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

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