Austin Hepperla, PhD has been appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics, effective February 1, 2024.
Dr. Hepperla’s research focuses on the fields of epigenetics and transcriptomics, specifically their pivotal roles in disease formation. Utilizing high-throughout sequencing technologies, he been able to help elucidate novel mechanisms across diverse models, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, chordoma, soft tissue sarcoma, congenital heart disease, and fetal alcohol syndrome. These investigations are the outcomes of collaborative efforts both within UNC, encompassing groups such as the Lineberger Cancer Center and the Neuroscience Center, as well as large consortiums like The Cancer Genome Atlas. Dr. Hepperla is a principal at the UNC Neuroscience Bioinformatics Core and the Bioinformatics and Analytics Research Collaborative (BARC) core, where his responsibilities include spearheading the design and analysis of innovative studies. Dr. Hepperla received his PhD from the GMB Curriculum and earned a Certificate in BCB in 2020. Welcome to Dr. Austin Hepperla.