Dr. Polly Fordyce

Biography

Polly Fordyce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University, with a focus on the intersection of biophysics and genetics. Her laboratory develops and applies innovative microfluidic platforms aimed at quantitative, high-throughput studies in single-cell genomics. Fordyce completed her undergraduate studies in physics and biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and went on to earn her Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University, where she worked with Professor Steve Block on the development of instrumentation for single-molecule studies of kinesin motor proteins. Following her doctoral studies, she conducted postdoctoral research under Professor Joe DeRisi to create new microfluidic technologies for understanding how transcription factors recognize and bind to DNA targets using bead-based multiplexing. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the NIH New Innovator Pioneer Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the 2023 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry. Additionally, she is a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator.

Research Interests