Yicheng Luo

Dr. Yicheng Luo received his Ph.D in Biology from California Institute of Technology, where he trained in the laboratory of Alexei A. Aravin and continued his postdoctoral research at Cornell University. His research focuses on small RNA–mediated genome defense mechanisms, particularly how the piRNA pathway recognizes and silences transposable elements to maintain genome integrity in the germline. Using Drosophila as a model system, his work investigates the mechanisms of piRNA biogenesis, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, chromatin regulation, and the evolutionary conflict between host genomes and transposable elements. In the Perrimon Laboratory, he aims to investigate how transposable elements regulate host gene transcription and how hosts evolve defense mechanisms to protect genome stability against transposable element activity.