Dr. Ellen Rothenberg

Biography

Ellen Rothenberg is the Edward B. Lewis Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. She received her A.B. from Harvard University in 1972 and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977. Her academic career began as an Assistant Professor at Caltech in 1982, followed by promotions to Associate Professor in 1988, Professor in 1994, Ruddock Professor in 2007, and Distinguished Professor in 2021. Rothenberg's research focuses on transcriptional networks underlying T-cell development and signaling, examining the molecular mechanisms that drive developmental lineage choices in hematopoietic stem cells and their differentiation into T lymphocytes. The approaches utilized in her lab include a combination of in vitro developmental biology, high-resolution characterization of individual cell states, and molecular genetics of gene regulation. She aims to identify the transcription factors and signaling events that induce T-lineage gene expression from uncommitted precursors. Additionally, her group investigates the variations in these pathways that may predispose individuals to autoimmunity and explores the evolutionary origins of T, B, and innate lymphocyte developmental programs through comparative analyses of basal vertebrates.

Research Interests

Experience