Bongmin (Min) Bae, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of MCB Professor Amanda Whipple, has been awarded a new postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association. The two-year award will support Bae’s research on how epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression in the mammalian brain.
Bae’s work focuses on genomic imprinting, a specialized form of gene regulation in which only one parental copy of a gene—either the maternal or paternal copy—is expressed, while the other is silenced.
In the Whipple lab, Bae investigates the mechanisms that control this selective gene expression, with particular attention to how the maternal and paternal genomes are folded inside the nucleus. This three-dimensional organization influences whether genes are positioned near regulatory DNA elements that can activate or repress transcription.
“One of the approaches I’m taking is to investigate how these genomes—maternal genome and paternal genome—are folded in the nucleus, and how these different folding patterns affect imprinted gene expression,” Bae said. “Typically, one copy is expressed and the other copy is suppressed or repressed, and we want to understand how genome folding plays a role in that.” The newly awarded fellowship will allow Bae to continue and expand this line of research.
Although the fellowship is awarded by the American Heart Association, Bae noted that the organization has broadened its priorities to include brain health. “They have a new interest in supporting research that is aiming to promote brain health,” she said. “They are also interested in understanding how the brain functions.”
As part of the fellowship, Bae and the Whipple lab plan to increasingly focus on imprinted genes in the brain and in neurons, using these systems to better understand how epigenetic regulation shapes gene expression in neural contexts.
“This is well-deserved recognition of Min’s efforts to better understand how epigenetic marks control gene expression in the mammalian brain. Min is always pushing and elevating the science in my lab, and I’m proud of her scientific development,” said Whipple.
The fellowship officially began in January 2026 and will provide two years of research support. Reflecting on the award, Bae emphasized the collaborative nature of the work and the importance of mentorship and feedback from colleagues who helped shape both the project and the fellowship application.
