Chair’s Welcome
About
Anja Katrin Bielinsky, PhD, Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Welcome to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics! We are part of the School of Medicine at UVA and share a passion for basic science and how it impacts our understanding of all aspects of life. Our research teams are diverse, and welcome different viewpoints. To us, diversity is a major driver of research innovation, and we pride ourselves to be an open-minded community of faculty, trainees, researchers, and administrative staff that values a respectful and supportive work environment. Our scientific expertise spans genetic and metabolic diseases with a strong focus on cancer biology, chromosome maintenance, aging, and fundamental aspects of complex protein structures.
Our research is highly technology-driven and employs multi-omics approaches, genome editing, single molecule imaging, cryo-electron microscopy, and bioinformatics. At the core of our research enterprise are PhD students and postdocs. Our PhD trainees are fully funded members of the vibrant and interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BIMS). We offer rigorous PhD and postdoctoral training opportunities, and support career development targeted toward academic and non-academic environments. To facilitate this goal, we view mentoring — at all levels — as an essential component and strength of the department. On the environmental side, as a department, we pay attention to sustainability in research and try to promote green laboratory practices.
BMG faculty members are distinguished experts in their fields and highly collaborative. The departmental funding portfolio includes grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and several federal foundations that support the most innovative research in our disciplines. A main goal for the coming years is to significantly grow our department with a special emphasis on hiring early-career scientists from historically marginalized backgrounds and to mentor them in establishing their own independent, successful research programs. Please contact us if you want to learn more about BMG and our open positions.