Mary Gehring, PhD
Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in plants
The Gehring Lab studies plant epigenetics — the heritable information that influences cellular function but is not encoded in the DNA sequence itself.
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Research:
We use genetic, genomic, computational, synthetic, and evolutionary approaches to answer fundamental questions in plant epigenetics and seed biology. Epigenetics refers to heritable information that influences cellular function but is not encoded in the DNA sequence. During the flowering plant life cycle, the epigenome is most dynamic during reproduction and seed development. Seeds are the basis of all agriculture and are fundamental to human life and the health of the planet. The scientific mission of the lab is to decipher the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate plant reproduction and the formation of viable seeds. Our research is carried out primarily in model systems like Arabidopsis thaliana, with applications in underutilized crops.
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Biography:
Gehring began her scientific career at Williams College, earned her doctorate in Plant Biology from the University of California Berkeley in 2005, and continued her studies as a postdoctoral researcher with Steven Henikoff at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Gehring came to Whitehead Institute in 2010 and was named the Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Career Development Professor by MIT in 2011. In 2020 she was named the Landon T. Clay Career Development Chair at Whitehead Institute. In 2023, Gehring was named the Inaugural David Baltimore Chair in Biomedical Research. In 2024, she was selected as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.