Dr. Kanishk Jain
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics
Member, Masonic Cancer Center
Trainer, Chemistry Biology Interface Training Grant
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PhD, University of California, Los Angeles (2018)
BS, University of Virginia (2013)
Dr. Kanishk Jain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is interested in understanding how epigenetic regulatory factors engage with nucleosomal targets to direct chromatin-related processes. Dr. Jain obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, studying RNA-protein interactions in archaea in Dr. Cameron Mura’s lab. He then went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Dr. Steven Clarke’s lab, where his research focused on the enzymatic characterization of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), uncovering key biochemical mechanisms of PRMT crosstalk that are crucial for understanding their roles in cancer therapies.
Dr. Jain expanded his interests in chromatin biology during his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Brian Strahl at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). There, his work uncovered novel interactions between histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) and reader proteins, including a detailed study of PHRF1. He has also explored the crosstalk between different PTMs, particularly the link between H3 acetylation and H3K4 methylation, using advanced biochemical and mass spectrometric techniques. Dr. Jain has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the NIGMS T32 fellowship in Cellular and Molecular Biology, as well as postdoctoral fellowships from both the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Cancer Society.