Basic Science Academic Department Seminars

November 2025

The basic science academic departments invite the Northwestern community to join us for upcoming events. 

Click on the event times for detailed information and updates.

For even more opportunities, explore our events page to find events hosted by our campus partners.

Monday, November 3

10:00 a.m. | The Role of Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) in Cancer

Ernst Lengyel, MD/PhD
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
The University of Chicago Medicine

Host: Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics

Tuesday, November 4

12:15 p.m. | Using Comparative Primate Research to Enrich Our Understanding of Human-Microbiome Interactions

Katherine Amato, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences

Host: Department of Microbiology-Immunology

*Noon | Lunch and Learn: Advancing Spatial Transcriptomics at NUSeq with Stereo-Seq Technology

Introduction to Complete Genomics and DNBSEQ Technology

Derek Hansen, PhD
Field Application Scientist
Complete Genomics

Pushing Spatial Omics to New Frontiers: Stereo-Seq at Nanoscale Resolution

Jim George, MSc
Technical Sales Specialist
Complete Genomics

*Registration required for lunch

Host: NUSeq Core

Wednesday, November 5

Noon | CDB Trainee Seminar 

Host: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

Thursday, November 6

10:00 a.m. | RNA Meets DNA: Dangerous Encounters in the Genome

Karlene Cimprich, PhD
Professor and Vice-Chair of Chemical and Systems Biology and of Biochemistry
Stanford Cancer Institute Leader, Genome Stability Research
Stanford University School of Medicine

Host: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Monday, November 10

3:00 p.m. | Annual Toshio Narahashi Lecture: Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay in Human and Disease: Reframing the Role of FMRP in Fragile X Syndrome

Lynne Maquat, PhD
J. Lowell Orbison Endowed Chair
Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics, of Pediatrics and of Oncology
University of Rochester

Host: Department of Pharmacology

Tuesday, November 11

12:15 p.m. | TurboCas: A Method for Locus-Specific Labeling of Genomic Regions and Isolating Their Associated Protein Interactome

Bercin Cenik, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Host: Department of Microbiology-Immunology

Wednesday, November 12

Noon | Discovering New Biochemistry from Biological Conflicts

Aravind Iyer, PhD 
Senior Investigator, Protein and Genome Evolution Research Group
National Library of Medicine

Host: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

Thursday, November 13

10:00 a.m. | Cancer Dependency Identification and Mechanisms

Christopher Vakoc, MD, PhD
Alan and Edith Seligson Professor of Cancer Research
Cancer Center Deputy Director of Research
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Host: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Tuesday, November 18

12:15 p.m. | Beyond ATP: Mitochondrial Signaling as a Master Regulator of Treg Function

Samuel Weinberg, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology (Experimental Pathology)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Host: Department of Microbiology-Immunology

Wednesday, November 19

Noon | CDB Trainee Seminar

Yun Liu
Research Technician
Vila Ellis Lab, Cell and Developmental Biology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Host: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

Friday, November 21

Noon | Pallido-Tegmental Endocannabinoids Orchestrate Dopamine-Based Action Selection

Miguel Luján, PhD
Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
University of Illinois Chicago

Host: Department of Neuroscience

3:00 p.m. | Biochemistry, Epigenetics and Metabolism (BEaM) Forum

Evaluating Ancestry Adjustment in Multi-Ancestry Epigenome-Wide Analysis

Yueming Liu
PhD Candidate, Health Sciences Integrated Program - Biostatistics
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Exportin-1 Functions as an Adaptor Between Transcription Factors and the Nuclear Pore Complex to Regulate Transcription

Jason Brickner
Professor of Molecular Biosciences
Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences

Host: Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics