Heankel Lyons

Heankel Lyons is interested in understanding how proteins organize in enigmatic cellular assemblies known as biomolecular condensates to regulate gene expression in healthy and sick neurons. In her graduate work, Heankel demonstrated how disordered protein regions, important in biomolecular condensates, are deployed to functionally and selectively organize the machinery that activates our genes in development and cancer. Now, in the Gitler lab, she is investigating how these protein regions are harnessed by the big and busy nuclei of motor neurons, and how these unique mechanisms of gene regulation make motor neurons selectively vulnerable to diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Heankel received her BA in Neuroscience from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She then obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from UT Southwestern Medical Center in the lab of Dr. Ben Sabari, where she studied biomolecular condensates in transcription. At Stanford, Heankel leads initiatives focused on community building and mentoring. For instance, she started the Postdocs in Genetics (PiG) Seminars to highlight the research of postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics and foster a sense of belonging. Heankel also leads sessions in the Someone Like Me Mentoring Program at Stanford that seeks to create a space to help students and postdocs find community. In her free time, Heankel enjoys running in the early morning, bouldering, and planning outdoor activities or dinners with friends.