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Chicagoland Chromatin Club

The Chicagoland Chromatin Club aims to foster collaboration, share cutting-edge research, and build a vibrant community of scientists dedicated to understanding chromatin biology and its impact on gene regulation, development, and disease.

Upcoming Event Details

Date: September 18, 2026

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CT)

Location: Northwestern University - Simpson & Kimberly Querrey Biomedical Center
303 East Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611

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Agenda:

Session I: Trainee and Faculty Talks 10:00 am - 11:45 pm

• 10:00 am to 10:10 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
• 10:10 am to 10:40 am The Genome Geometry and the Intelligent Genome -
  Dr. Vadim Backman, Professor Northwestern University
• 10:40 am to 10:55 am Regulatory elements and loop extrusion cooperate to shape Igh architecture and antibody repertoire diversity
  Dr. Tipu Khan, Post-doctoral Fellow, Kenter Lab, University of Illinois Chicago
• 10:55 am to 11:15 am Transcription Termination: An Emerging Regulatory Hub -
  Dr. Yuki Aoi, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University
• 11:15 am to 11:45 am From Pan-Cancer Prioritization to Nuclear Mechanism: LINC01094 as a Regulator of Colorectal Cancer Cell State
  Dr. JongSun Lee, Assistant Professor, Rosalind Franklin University

Lunch and Poster Session 11:45 pm - 1:30 pm

Session II: Trainee and Faculty Talks 1:30 pm - 3:15 pm

• 1:30 to 2:00 pm Spatial Organization of the Genome: A Polycomb Perspective
  Dr. Supriya Prasanth, Professor University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
• 2:00 to 2:15 pm Resolving Physical and Functional Cooperation of SOX2 and FOXA1 in Therapy-Resistant Prostate Cancer
  John Phoenix, Graduate Student, Loyola University
• 2:15 pm to 2:30 pm Trainee Talk from University of Chicago
• 2:30 pm to 2:45 pm Trainee Talk from Northwestern University, Chicago
• 2:45 pm to 3:15 pm Chromatin states shape gene expression rhythms across the circadian cycle in the Drosophila retina
  Dr. Vikki Weake, Professor, Purdue University

Coffee Break: 3:15 to 3:30 pm

Session III: Keynote Address 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

• Re-imagining the relationship between gene expression and nuclear organization via nuclear speckle and chromosome dynamics
  Dr. Andrew Belmont, Professor, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Poster Award Announcements and Closing Remarks 4:30 pm

Previous Event Details

Date: June 26, 2026

Time: 12:00 noon (PDT) / 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

Featured Speaker:

• Yue Yang, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Dept of Neurobiology, Northwestern University
  3D Spatial Organization of Neurons and their Genes

Trainee Presenter:

• Alexis Jacob - Ph.D. Candidate, Brickner Lab, Northwestern University
  Determining the Molecular Mechanism By Which Crm1/Xpo1-mediated Chromatin Organization Promotes Transcription.

Date: May 29, 2026

Time: 12:00 noon (PDT) / 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

Featured Speaker:

• Jan Spille, Ph.D., - Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago
  Chromatin Structure and Single Molecule Dynamics in Transcription Condensates

Date: April 24, 2026

Time: 12:00 noon (PDT) / 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

Featured Speaker:

• Andrea Piunti, Ph.D., - Assistant Professor, University of Chicago
  Chromatin Deregulation in Pediatric Cancers

Trainee Presenter:

• Gönen Memişoğlu, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral Fellow, Ruthenburg Lab, University of Chicago
  Before the Levee Breaks: Transcription on Broken Chromosomes

Date: March 27, 2026

Time: 12:00 noon (PDT) / 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

Keynote Speakers:

• Celeste Greer, Ph.D., - Assistant Professor, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago
  HEXIM1 Controls Activity-Dependent Gene Expression in Neurons

Date: January 23, 2026

Time: 12:00 noon – 6:00 p.m. (CST)

Location: Northwestern University - Simpson & Kimberly Querrey Biomedical Center
303 East Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Invited Speakers:

• Dr. Andrew Koh - University of Chicago
• Dr. Valerie Chai - Rosalind Franklin
• Dr. Jason Brickner - Northwestern University (Evanston)
• Dr. Constantinos Chronis - UIC
• Dr. Rocco Gogliotti - Loyola University
• Dr. Ali Shilatifard - Northwestern University