Klein College of Science hosts inaugural Southeastern Symposium on Genome Integrity and Chromatin Regulation

June 23, 2026
Categories: Biological Sciences, College News, Honors & Awards, Research
A group photo of the organizers, speakers and attendees at the 2026 Southeast Symposium on Genome Integrity and Chromatin Regulation. The photo was taken on the steps of UNC Charlotte's Cone University Center.

The Klein College of Science welcomed researchers from eight states to UNC Charlotte on Monday, June 15, for the inaugural Southeastern Symposium on Genome Integrity and Chromatin Regulation.

The new regional symposium builds on the success of the 2025 Carolina Symposium on Genome Integrity and Chromatin Regulation, which brought together 150 participants from 15 institutions across the Carolinas.

With this momentum, the 2026 symposium expanded its reach, bringing together nearly 170 attendees from 28 research and education institutions and six nonprofit organizations or industry and biotech companies from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Kentucky and North Dakota, as well as Mexico and India.

“We are a driving force in the region’s innovation ecosystem, translating cutting-edge research into economic growth, job creation and real-world solutions,” said Deborah Thomas, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor of research at UNC Charlotte. “Through these strategic partnerships, technology commercialization and a commitment to regional innovation, UNC Charlotte is shaping the future of place-based, technology-driven economic development in Charlotte. But it isn’t just Charlotte. By being locally relevant, we are also globally connected in our research.”

A close up of Deborah Thomas presenting on stage.
Deborah Thomas, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor of research, presents opening remarks.
Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, founding dean of the Klein College of Science, speaking on stage with a presentation on a screen above her. The back of the audience can be seen in the foreground of the image.
Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, Ph.D., KCOS founding dean, presents welcoming remarks.

Strengthening scientific exchange and collaboration in a rapidly advancing field, the symposium provided mentorship, networking and opportunities for researchers to share their work. The program featured two keynote speakers, six invited lecturers, 10 contributed talks and 49 poster presentations.

“This symposium is designed to bring together scientists of all career stages to present and discuss research, foster collaboration and build community,” said Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, Ph.D., founding dean of the Klein College of Science. “I’m especially pleased that the symposium provides a wonderful opportunity for students and early-career scientists to present their work and engage with leading experts in the field. This type of community building is at the heart of what we do in the Klein College of Science.”

Deborah Thomas, Xiaojun Ren, Christine Richardson, Shan Yan and Bernadette Donovan-Merkert pose on the stage in front of a welcome screen.
UNC Charlotte’s Deborah Thomas, Xiaojun Ren, Shan Yan, Christine Richardson and Bernadette Donovan-Merkert welcomed attendees.
Xiaojun Ren, Christine Richardson and Shan Yan introducing themselves on the stage in front of a screen with their photos and titles.
Christine Richardson, Shan Yan and Xiaojun Ren organized the 2025 Carolina Symposium and 2026 Southeastern Symposium.

Sponsors and organizers

The symposium was organized by Xiaojun Ren, Ph.D., Irwin Belk Distinguished Scholar and associate professor of biological sciences; Christine Richardson, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences; and Shan Yan, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences, whose leadership helped shape the program centered on collaboration and scientific advancement.

The event was supported by UNC Charlotte’s Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science (CBES), the Irwin Belk Distinguished Scholar of Biology Endowment Fund, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and VWR, whose sponsorship helped make the expanded regional gathering possible.

“The Department of Biology has a lot of synergy with the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science, which comprises nearly 50 faculty members across multiple departments and colleges,” said Richardson in her welcoming remarks. “We collaborate with other researchers who are in the clinical space, in biotechnology companies as well as the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. There are a lot of amazing things going on in the region, and I hope it all starts here today with the conversations you have with scientists that you meet.”

Two audience members. One is speaking into a microphone and asking a question, while the other writes notes.
Photo of the crowd writing notes and listening to the speakers.
An audience member asks a question while holding a microphone, while others listen and look ahead.

Speakers

The keynote speakers were Andre Nussenzweig, Ph.D., NIH distinguished investigator and member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine at the National Cancer Institute, and Taekjip Ha, Ph.D., professor of Harvard Medical School, HHMI investigator and member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine at Harvard University.

A close up of Nussenzweig on stage and speaking to the crowd.
Nussenzweig presents the morning keynote “DNA repair drives platinum-induced neuronal cell death.”
A close up of Ha on stage speaking animatedly to the crowd with both hands.
Ha presents the afternoon keynote “Genome maintenance at higher resolution.”

Invited speakers included Lee Zou, Ph.D., chair and professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University; Anja Bielinsky, Ph.D., chair and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Virginia; J. Mauro Calabrese, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at UNC Chapel Hill; Jean Cook, Ph.D., chair and professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC Chapel Hill; Francesca Storici, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Georgia Tech; and Hong Wang, Ph.D., professor of physics at NC State University.

The 10 contributed talks (five assistant professors, four graduate students and one postdoctoral fellow) were selected from submitted abstracts, reflecting the depth and diversity of research underway across the region.

Khan on stage presenting his PowerPoint presentation. The back of audience members can be seen in the foreground.
Abid Khan, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, returned to UNC Charlotte, where he earned a Ph.D. in biology.
Close up of Khan speaking on stage.
Khan presented “A SETD2‑CDK1‑Lamin axis maintains nuclear morphology and genome stability.”

Poster awards

The symposium also featured awards recognizing three outstanding presentations and two honorable mentions from the poster session. Winners were selected by a panel of 21 experts from 11 universities across the southeast.

McGhee poses in front of her poster.
Kelly McGhee from UNC Charlotte presents “Regulation of G-quadruplex structures in ribosomal DNA and nucleolar function.”
Riley and Paththamperuma pose in front of their poster.
Chathura Paththamperuma, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Riley from UNC Charlotte present “A non-canonical function of DNAJA1 in RNR small-subunit dynamics: Dimer Exchange and Remodeling Factor (DERF).”
Zhao poses in front of his poster.
Haichao Zhao, Ph.D., from UNC Charlotte presents “Temporal dynamics of DNA damage response following MMS exposure reveal distinct DSB formation and signaling mechanisms.”
Mirikar poses in front of her poster.
Duhita Mirikar from UNC Charlotte presents “Multisite Hsp70 phosphorylation acts as a rheostat for the DNA damage response.”
Poster winners pose for a group photo with the speakers and organizers.
The poster session winners alongside the symposium organizers and keynote speakers.

Poster session winners received monetary prizes and award certificates:

  • First prize — Elizabeth Irvin (NC State University)
  • Second prize — Kelly McGhee (UNC Charlotte)
  • Third prize — Chathura Paththamperuma (UNC Charlotte)
  • Honorable mention — Irene Silvernail (NC State University)
  • Honorable mention — John McCoy (Clemson University)

Attendees finished the day with a networking event, providing a vital platform for early‑career scientists to engage with established leaders in genome integrity and chromatin regulation, strengthening connections that can lead to future collaboration and discovery.

Attendees eating and talking at a table during the networking event.
Attendees smiles widely at the camera.
Attendees smile and laugh at a table during the networking event.
Richardson speaks with one of the session speakers.
Full photo gallery from the 2026 Southeastern Symposium

Written by Emily Hamm. Photos by Kat Lawrence.