About the PI : Aki Ushiki PhD

Aki earned her PhD from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, under Dr. Keiji Tanimoto, where she studied Igf2/H19 genomic imprinting and transcriptional regulation of the Renin gene using hypertensive and pregnancy-induced hypertensive mouse models. She also gained hands-on experience in various transgenic techniques, including pronuclear injection, gene targeting in ES cells, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

Subsequently, Aki pursued postdoctoral research in Dr. Nadav Ahituv's lab at UCSF. Her research primarily focuses on skeletal development and diseases, with a special emphasis on enhancers. She has significantly advanced the understanding of genetic mechanisms underlying congenital limb deformities, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and bat wing development, using genomics and mouse genetics (see publications).

Additionally, she is developing high-throughput enhancer assay technology in mice. Her current research is supported by NHGRI K99 funding. Aki has been appointed as a Tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis and will commence her lab in January 2025!

Awards and Honors

2023:  NHGRI Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00)
2020: American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2020 Virtual Meeting,

           Reviewers’ Choice (the top 10% of all poster abstracts)

2020: American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2020 Virtual Meeting, 

           Semi-Finalists of ASHG/Charles J. Epstein Trainee Awards

2017: Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 

           Dean’s Award for Excellence, 

2012: University of Tsukuba, Japan, Valedictorian award of the College of Biological Sciences