I’m a bioengineering professor with a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, a published scientist, and an active grant reviewer with 14 years of experience leading an independent research lab, currently at Emory University. My work spans synthetic biology, chromatin engineering, and RNA-based gene regulation, with more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and over $5 million in competitive research funding from agencies like NIH, NSF, and private foundations.
As an investigator and mentor, I specialize in shaping bold, interdisciplinary ideas into clear, compelling narratives that succeed in today’s competitive research landscape. I’ve guided students and collaborators to secure major grants and publish in high-impact journals. My experience on review panels, including NIH, NSF, the American Cancer Society, and international funders like the Dutch Research Council and Canada Foundation for Innovation, gives me deep insight into what makes complex science fundable and publication-ready.
Education and Training
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School (2008 – 2011)
- HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Davidson College (2006 – 2008)
- Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis (2006)
- B.S. in Biology, Florida A&M University (1999)
Publications – Select & Most Recent
- Tet Transgene Activation is Disrupted in Lipogenic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Townsel A, Wu Y, Jaffe M, Shields C, Haynes KA. ACS Synthetic Biology. 2025 Jul 8. PMID: 40625278
- Reader-Effectors as Actuators of Epigenome Editing. Kim SH, Haynes KA. Methods Mol Biol (Springer Nature). 2024;2842:103-127. PMID: 39012592
- Synthetic Reader-Actuators Targeted to Polycomb-Silenced Genes Block Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Proliferation and Invasion. Hong L, Williams NL, Jaffe M, Shields CE, Haynes KA. GEN Biotechnol. 2023 Aug 1;2(4):301-316. PMID: 37928406
- Regulation of cancer epigenomes with a histone-binding synthetic transcription factor. Nyer DB, Daer RM, Vargas D, Hom C, Haynes KA. NPJ Genom Med (Springer Nature). 2017;2:1. PMID: 28919981
- The Impact of Chromatin Dynamics on Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing in Human Cells. Daer RM, Cutts JP, Brafman DA, Haynes KA. ACS Synth Biol. 2017 Mar 17;6(3):428-438. PMID: 27783893
Featured on PRI Science Friday – “Just How Easy Is it to Edit DNA?“
Publishing Positions and Roles
Associate Editor, ACS Synthetic Biology (2022 – present)
Editorial Advisory Board Member, GEN Biotechnology (2022 – present)
Editorial Board Member, Nucleic Acids Research (2019 – present)
Board of Reviewing Editors, eLife (2020 – 2021)
Peer Reviewer (2020 – 2025): ACS Synthetic Biology, Biodesign Research, Cell Reports Methods, Cells, Current Opinion in Systems Biology, Epigenomes, FEBS Letters, Frontiers in Genetics, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS), GEN Biotechnology, Journal of Cell Science, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Nucleic Acids Research (NAR), Science Advances
Dr. Karmella Haynes 