Dr. Christopher Benner

Biography

Christopher Benner is a bioinformatics and genomics scientist focusing on the regulatory DNA within the genome that orchestrates transcriptional responses. His laboratory develops computational and experimental technologies to study transcription regulation, analyzing regulatory DNA, transcription, epigenetics, and the 3D structure of the genome. The lab leverages experimental methods to profile transcription initiation at the genome level, such as csRNA-seq and TSS-MPRA, providing sensitive measurements of regulatory element activity at single-nucleotide resolution. Benner's research interests include studying the evolution of eukaryotic transcription and applying advanced NGS techniques in non-model organisms to uncover the broad principles guiding transcriptional processes. He received his BS in Bioengineering from UC San Diego and later completed his Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, developing the DNA motif discovery algorithm HOMER. Following his postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute and his role as Director of the Integrative Genomics Bioinformatics Core, Benner was appointed Assistant Professor at UCSD in 2016, continuing his research on viral host-pathogen interactions, chronic inflammatory diseases, and genomic software development.

Research Interests