Yunsun Nam PhD

Yunsun Nam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Biophysics. She is a member of the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences.

Dr. Nam obtained a BA in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College. Under the direction of Dr. Stephen C. Blacklow, she obtained her PhD in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Following this, she completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School in Dr. Tom A. Rapoport’s laboratory in the Department of Cell Biology and then in Dr. Piotr Sliz laboratory in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.

Dr. Nam studies mechanisms of non-coding RNAs and their role in gene regulation important for development and cancer. A major focus is the molecular mechanism and regulation of microRNA processing. She uses various biochemical and biophysical approaches including X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, molecular biology, nucleic acid/protein biochemistry, high throughput sequencing, and eukaryotic cell-based studies. Her long term goal is not only to elucidate how ncRNAs work but also to identify new avenues for developing therapeutics.