Lu (Lucy) Bai, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of physics has been selected as the Verne M. Willaman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The appointment is awarded by the Office of the President of the University, based on the recommendation of the dean of the Eberly College of Science, in recognition of Bai’s research contributions, teaching, and service to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Eberly College of Science.
“I am very pleased that we can recognize Lucy’s accomplishments in research on the mechanisms of gene regulation by chromatin, in addition to her many contributions to the college and Penn State,” said Mary Beth Williams, acting dean of the Eberly College of Science, James and Alvina Balog Faculty Fellow in Science, and professor of chemistry. “She is an integral part of the Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, and her achievements an exemplar of excellence in science.”
In her research, Bai uses a variety of strategies to understand how gene expression is regulated by chromatin, the complex structure of DNA and proteins that make up chromosomes. Her lab is currently working to identify and characterize “pioneer factors,” specialized proteins that can bind to densely packed regions of chromatin and make them accessible to the cellular machinery required for genes to be expressed. Additionally, her lab is dissecting long-distance chromosomal interactions that regulate gene expression. They use a combination of imaging, genetics, genomics, and computational methods, and are developing new genetics and genomics tools to address open questions about gene regulation. Her group is part of the Penn State Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, which provides a highly interactive environment for the study of chromatin and gene regulation.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award and grateful for the confidence that the college and the department have placed in me and my research,” Bai said. “This recognition is not solely mine. It belongs to my entire research group whose hard work and dedication make this possible. I am especially grateful to our graduate students, who are the driving force behind the lab, continually pushing the boundaries of our chromatin research. This achievement would not be possible without the support of the Center of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation and the collaborative, collegial environment fostered by my colleagues. This award will enable us to explore some high-risk, high-reward projects that would not ordinarily receive support through traditional funding mechanisms. I am excited for the new avenues of discovery this opportunity will open for us.”
Bai was honored as a Suzanne and Bob Wright Fellow of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation between 2008 and 2010 and received a Women and Science Fellowship in 2007. Her research has been published in journals including Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, Nucleic Acids Research, and Cell.
Bai joined the faculty at Penn State as an assistant professor in 2012, was promoted to associate professor in 2018, and to full professor in 2023. Prior to that, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University from 2007 to 2012. Bai earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at Nanjing University in China, in 1999; and master’s and doctoral degrees in biophysics at Cornell University, in 2004 and 2007, respectively.