Biography
A member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center (BSCRC), Dr. Tracy Johnson is a biologist and educator who studies the fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation to advance our understanding of cellular function, dysfunction and human health.
Johnson’s research focuses on understanding basic mechanisms of eukaryotic gene regulation, particularly pre-messenger RNA processing and chromatin modification. Using a combination of approaches, including molecular genetics, biochemistry and bioinformatics, she has made fundamental discoveries that elucidate the mechanism of RNA processing, particularly RNA splicing. This work has yielded important insights into how RNA processing reactions are coordinated in both time and space with transcription and chromatin modification. In addition to characterizing the details of these reactions, she continues to uncover how RNA processing is regulated in response to changes in the cellular environment.
Johnson has deployed yeast as a model system in order to leverage its genetic and biochemical tractability, while applying the novel insights gleaned from yeast to other model systems. In light of the strong conservation of these processes across eukaryotic cells, including human cells, this work has important implications for human health and the creation of new therapeutic interventions.
As Director of the UCLA COMPASS program, Johnson helps undergraduate students prepare for careers in regenerative medicine through training, mentorship and hand-on research opportunities and affords students the opportunity to explore a variety of ways in which their research skills can be applied toward improving human health through career paths in stem cell research and the biosciences.
For over 20 years as a University of California professor, Johnson has focused her energy on developing effective strategies for providing a transformative learning experience for undergraduates. Johnson has also mentored and trained numerous undergraduate researchers on a more individual basis, involving them in her research program and helping them author research papers. For her achievements in integrating high-level research with excellence in undergraduate education, she has also been awarded a number of honors including a National Science Foundation CAREER award, the Presidential Early Career Award, and the Chancellor’s Associates Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. In 2014, Johnson was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professor, which recognizes “accomplished scientists committed to engaging undergraduates and advancing inclusive science education.”
In 2020, Dr. Johnson was named Dean of Life Sciences.