Karla Neugebauer, a biochemist whose research has revealed new insights into the function of RNA, was recently appointed the R. Selden Rose Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and professor of cell biology, effective 1 July 2024.
She is a member of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B), which bridges the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Neugebauer holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Cell Biology at YSM. She is also the director of the Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine.
Neugebauer joined the Yale faculty in 2013, having previously held appointments at the
Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden Germany and the University of Washington.
A scientist with an expansive set of interests, Neugebauer initially trained in neuroscience before shifting her focus to RNA biology. Her research, which uses living mammalian, zebrafish, yeast and algal cells, has exemplified the ways that curiosity-driven science can lead to practical understanding. Her lab probes the links between gene transcription and splicing as well as the role of cellular sub-compartments in RNA biogenesis, using next-generation sequencing and imaging techniques that capture RNA-protein interactions in vivo. Her work on motor neuron proteins has expanded our molecular understanding of diseases like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), fatal childhood disease. Other work sheds new light on important developmental process, such as embryogenesis and erythropoiesis, and on diseases like cancer that are marked by profound changes in transcription as well as pre-mRNA processing and function.
For this work, Neugebauer was awarded the RNA Society’s Mid-Career Award in 2017. She has also been elected as a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, the Faculty of 1000, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). She has held fellowships from the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Cancer Society. Her work is supported by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health. Neugebauer has served in leadership roles in the RNA Society and in editorial roles for the Journal of Cell Biology, RNA Biology, and others. In addition, she regularly serves on review panels and advisory boards for institutions and departments in her field. She gives seminars and conference talks around the world, and she has organized multiple meetings and symposia on topics that range from the Gordon Research Conference on Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation, the EMBO Meeting on “The Complex Life of RNA” and the intersection between biochemistry and climate change.
Neugebauer is also a valued Yale citizen. She has served on the Biological Sciences Area Committee, the Tenure Appointments Committee, and the Yale College Admission and Financial Aid Policy Committee, in addition to her role as director of the Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine. She has served on numerous departmental and university-wide committees. She was Director of Undergraduate Studies in MB&B from 2016 to 2018 and MB&B Director of Graduate Studies from 2019 to 2022.
A skilled teacher and mentor, she has mentored dozens of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students both at Yale and at other institutions. She offers courses in advanced eukaryotic microbiology, principles of biochemistry, research ethics, and the medical impact of basic sciences. In 2021, she created a new course, “Biochemistry and our Changing Climate,” which explores a biochemical understanding of how organisms experience changing environmental conditions and how biochemistry can be harnessed to meet the challenges of climate change. In addition to her work with Yale students, Neugebauer has played a critical role in RNA Society initiatives intended to support and mentor junior scientist and women in the field.
Neugebauer earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco and her B.S. at Cornell.