About us

Decoding Genetic Variation

The Brunk Lab is a hybrid experimental and computational research group that studies how genetic variation shapes cellular systems. Our work sits at the intersection of cytogenetics, genome sciences and evolutionary biology and imaging where we integrate multiomic data, quantitative imaging, and computational modeling to understand how molecular and structural variation influence genome organization and cellular behavior. By combining experimental measurements with (big) data driven approaches, we aim to uncover how variants and chromosomal alterations propagate through regulatory networks to influence phenotype and cellular adaptation.

Our research spans multiple scales of biology. We investigate how protein variants alter molecular function, how structural changes in the genome reshape gene regulation, and how large scale genomic features such as extrachromosomal DNA contribute to cellular heterogeneity and evolutionary dynamics. Through this integrated approach, we seek to build a more complete understanding of how genetic variation drives biological function in health and disease.

The Brunk lab is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the heart of a vibrant scientific community that brings together researchers from chemistry, biology, genetics, computational biology, pharmacology, and medicine. Our team reflects this interdisciplinary spirit, with trainees and collaborators spanning diverse scientific backgrounds including chemistry, biology, genetics, computer science, engineering, and systems pharmacology. This range of expertise allows us to approach complex biological questions from multiple perspectives and develop new tools for understanding genome function.

We are located walking distance from the UNC Medical Center and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and a short drive from the Research Triangle Park, providing close connections to industry, clinicians and translational researchers. This environment fosters collaborations that allow our fundamental discoveries about genome structure and variation to inform new approaches to understanding disease and advancing single cell technologies.

Beyond research, we are deeply committed to training the next generation of scientists. Our lab emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, quantitative thinking, and open science, creating an environment where students and researchers can develop both experimental and computational expertise while tackling challenging problems in modern biology.