Opening March 2027 — now recruiting our first members
UNC School of Medicine · Chapel Hill, NC
Gene regulation is a molecular competition. We study how chromatin regulators like Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRC) and SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers assemble from different combinations of subunits, compete for chromatin, and dynamically reorganize to control transcription.
How does the combinatorial assembly of chromatin regulators encode cell identity, reset across cell divisions, and go wrong in disease?
Chromatin regulators are built from families of related subunits that can assemble in different combinations. This combinatorial complexity gives cells a flexible way to tune gene regulation, but it also creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited in disease. Our goal is to uncover the molecular rules that connect complex composition to function.
We reconstitute chromatin regulatory systems in vitro, dissect their behavior at the single-molecule level, and define the underlying mechanisms in living cells. By bridging reductionist biophysics with genome-scale function, our research will establish predictive models of gene regulation in development, regeneration, and cancer.
Many chromatin regulatory complexes assemble from families of paralogous subunits, creating diverse combinations with distinct molecular properties and regulatory activities. Using Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and SWI/SNF as model systems, we ask how subunit composition shapes complex assembly, chromatin binding, condensation, and the competition between activating and repressing complexes for the same genomic space. We define these rules through single-molecule reconstitution and then test their consequences with targeted CRISPR–Cas9 subunit swaps in human cells.
Cancer-associated mutations and changes in chromatin regulator abundance can alter the composition and behavior of chromatin regulatory complexes, disrupting the balance between gene activation and repression and shifting the same complex toward oncogenic or tumor-suppressive function. We ask how these perturbations reshape complex assembly, chromatin targeting, and transcription, using cancer-linked mutations and engineered human cells to connect molecular mechanisms to oncogenic cell states.
Cell division is a massive reorganization of the nucleus, yet cells must faithfully restore regulatory programs after each division. We ask how complex composition, post-translational modifications, and selective retention on chromatin together determine which regulatory memories survive mitosis and help restore transcription in daughter cells.
From molecules to genomes.
We bridge quantitative biophysics and genome-scale approaches to uncover the principles that connect molecular mechanisms to gene regulation and cellular function.
Build defined chromatin regulatory systems from purified components.
Watch individual molecules and regulatory assemblies interact in real time.
Engineer specific changes in living cells to test mechanistic predictions.
Use genomic approaches to map how these molecular changes play out across the genome.
Connect molecular measurements to chromatin state and transcription.
Use quantitative measurements to build general rules for combinatorial regulation.
I am a biophysicist interested in how molecular interactions give rise to dynamic gene regulation. I trained in single-molecule imaging and molecular biophysics with Ron Vale at University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) before moving into chromatin biology with Robert Kingston at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Outside the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, trail running, soccer, traveling, and exploring the food and museums of the places we visit.
We are recruiting postdoctoral fellows interested in mechanistic questions at the intersection of chromatin biology, single-molecule biophysics, and genomics. You do not need to have trained in all three areas.
Join Us →Graduate students in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) at UNC are welcome to rotate. Rotation projects will be designed to give students a feel for both the science and the way we work.
Join Us →Motivated UNC undergraduates interested in gaining research experience.
Join Us →Full-time lab support and hands-on research — a strong option before graduate school.
Join Us →
PRC1 condensates can physically restrict access of the activating remodeler SWI/SNF to chromatin, revealing how the composition and material properties of chromatin regulators can shape their competition for genomic targets.
PRC1 and chromatin act synergistically to form condensates, with specific combinations of PHC and CBX subunits determining condensate initiation, morphology, stability, and dynamics.
RECRUITING THE FIRST LAB MEMBERS
We are recruiting postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and research technicians. If you are excited by mechanistic questions and interdisciplinary science, I would love to hear from you.
WELCOME TO THE NIEKAMP LAB
Welcome to the Niekamp Lab. The website will grow alongside the lab — with new people, projects, papers, and stories from Chapel Hill.
Mentoring, not just managing.
My goal is to help trainees become independent scientists, not simply productive members of the lab. I balance close mentorship with room to think and experiment independently. Regular one-on-one meetings and Individual Development Plans provide opportunities to set goals and revisit them as people and projects evolve. Presenting data, writing, giving feedback, and defending scientific ideas are core parts of training, practiced throughout their training.
Clear expectations, open communication.
I want the lab to be a place where everyone knows what is expected of them and feels comfortable asking questions, giving feedback, and raising concerns. That means making expectations explicit rather than relying on unwritten rules, giving feedback that is specific and constructive, and adapting mentoring to how each person works and develops. If something is not working, I would rather hear about it early than have you quietly struggle with it.
My commitments to you.
We will set clear expectations, discuss progress openly, and address problems early.
My goal is to help you become an independent scientist, not simply to execute ideas.
We will talk explicitly about your goals and I will support applications, presentations, and opportunities that move you toward them.
Nobody should feel they have to already know the answer before asking for help.
Rigor does not mean every experiment succeeds; it means we understand what the experiment teaches us.
I want feedback on how the lab is run, not just on how your project is going. Tell me what is working and what is not.
What working here looks like.
Discuss data, papers, experimental strategy, and new ideas.
Regular conversations about experiments, scientific thinking, and career development.
Talks, papers, fellowship proposals, interviews, and chalk talks are skills we practice together.
Trainees take the lead in presenting their work and writing papers and fellowship proposals, with feedback and support throughout the process.
We will engage with scientists beyond our lab through conferences, seminars, and collaborations across UNC and beyond.
Science is hard work. We will take time to recognize progress and celebrate important milestones along the way.
Around campus · Chapel Hill, NC
We are looking for scientists who are excited by mechanistic questions and want to work across scales — from purified molecules and single-molecule measurements to living cells and genomes. You do not need to already be a chromatin biologist. Experience in biophysics, biochemistry, microscopy, chromatin biology, cell biology, genomics, or quantitative biology can all be valuable starting points. We value intellectual curiosity, quantitative thinking, collaboration, and a willingness to learn outside your existing expertise.
Build the lab with us.
Joining a new lab is different from joining an established group. There is more to build — but also more to shape. As a founding member of the Niekamp Lab, you will have the opportunity to help establish experimental approaches, shape the culture of the group, and take ownership of scientific questions from an early stage. You will work closely with me while developing the independence to eventually lead your own research. Some things will not be perfectly established on day one. Equipment, protocols, collaborations, and workflows will develop as the lab grows. I see that as part of the opportunity: we will build them together and every trainee will have a meaningful role in shaping what the lab becomes. My goal is for everyone to leave the Niekamp Lab able to ask important questions, design rigorous experiments, communicate science clearly, and pursue the next stage of their career with confidence.
Postdocs will develop and lead projects exploring how chromatin regulators assemble, compete, and function, using approaches ranging from single-molecule reconstitution and live-cell imaging to genomics. Postdocs will have substantial ownership in shaping their projects, with mentorship and support for independent fellowship applications, including NIH F32 and foundation awards.
How to apply: email a CV, a short cover letter on your research interests and goals, and contact info for 2–3 references to .
Graduate students can rotate through the lab via UNC's Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). Rotation projects will introduce students to our approach to quantitative chromatin biology and may combine biochemical reconstitution with imaging, genomics, or both.
How to apply: current UNC graduate students can email directly to arrange a rotation; prospective students should mention their interest in the lab when applying to one of these PhD programs.
Undergraduates can contribute to ongoing projects while learning core techniques in biochemistry, microscopy, and molecular biology. With enough time in the lab, students can develop an independent project. We ask for at least two semesters of commitment and value students who want to learn how to think about experiments, not just perform them.
How to apply: email a CV and a short note on your research interests and weekly availability to .
Technicians will contribute hands-on to ongoing research while helping establish protocols, workflows, and day-to-day lab operations as the lab grows. This is a good opportunity for someone who wants broad research experience and to take on increasing responsibility before graduate school or a career in research.
How to apply: email a CV and a short cover letter describing relevant lab experience and interests to .