Dr. Evan Healy completed his PhD in 2019 in Prof. Adrian Bracken's lab at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His doctoral work focused on defining how specific components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC) machinery synergise to coordinate genome wide activites. Dr. Healy was recruited to the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University in November 2021, where he is currently an ARC DECRA Fellow and NHMRC Investigator. His current research focus is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying chromatin and transcriptional regulation with a particular focus on the role RNA plays in this process. 

In all multicellular organisms, cellular identity is defined by distinct gene expression programmes that are stably maintained throughout life. Coordination of gene expression is linked to the three-dimensional packaging of genomic DNA into chromatin. 

My research interests are focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying chromatin regulation and how this related to gene expression. Mutations in chromatin regulators that control these processes often drive human disease such as cancer and neurodevelopmental syndromes. In particular, I study how chromatin and chromatin regulators are modulated by RNA. The ultimate goal of my research is to leverage basic biological discoveries in this area to uncover novel therapuetic strategies.