Len Pennacchio, Ph.D Deputy of Genomic Technologies, DOE Joint Genome Institute & Senior Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Education
- BA in Biology, Sonoma State University
- PhD in Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Postdoctoral training, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
Service, Awards, and Honors
- 2007 White House Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
- 2008 Genome Technology Magazine Award for Tomorrow’s PIs
- 2004-2010 Editorial Board, Genome Research
- 2006-2010 Permanent Member Genomics, Computational Biology and Technology (GCAT) Study Section, National Institutes of Health
- 2008-16 Scientific Advisory Board, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
- 2011-2013 Scientific Advisory Committee Chair for Genome Canada & the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Initiative for Advancing Technology Innovation
- 2011-14 Scientific Advisory Board; Population Genetics Analysis Program at NIAID
- 2011-14 Scientific Advisory Board; PAAR4Kids Pharmacogenomics Research Network
- 2014-16 Research Oversight Committee McGill University Genome Quebec Innovation Center
- 2008- Co-Chair Advances in Genome Biology & Technology (AGBT). Marco Island, FL
- 2011- Board of Directors, The Genome Partnership (not-for-profit)
- 2011- Scientific Advisor to the NHGRI Sequencing Program
- 2012-17 American Heart Association (AHA), Western States Affiliate Research Committee
- 2013-17 Chair Research Oversight Committee, Genome Canada: Enhanced CARE for RARE Genetic Diseases in Canada
- 2013- Co-Organizer Systems Biology of Gene Regulation and Genome Editing. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Asia. Suzhou, China
- 2013- Instructor Leena Peltonen School of Human Genomics, Sanger Center, England
- 2015- Co-Chair, Advances in Genome Biology & Technology: Precision Health. Scottsdale, Arizona
- 2016- Scientific Advisory Board for the Centre for Genomic Research (CGR), University of Liverpool, England
- 2017- Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley
- 2019- Advisory Board, Genetics & Genomics Next.
- 2019 Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Director’s Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement
- >150 Peer Review Publications (see Google Scholar)
- >125 Invited Scientific Presentations
Summary
In 2003, Dr. Pennacchio joined the DOE Joint Genome Institute and has focused on applying state-of-the-art molecular methods to address wide-ranging questions existing in biology. He holds a dual appointment as a Division Deputy at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Pennacchio received his Ph.D in 1998 from the Department of Genetics at Stanford University where he uncovered the genetic cause of a rare form of human epilepsy and subsequently generated one of the first mouse models for this common neurological disorder. In 1999, he was named an Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Fellow where he identified a novel apolipoprotein (ApoA5) involved in human and mouse triglyceride metabolism.
Current research interests and ongoing projects:
- Defining the vast landscape of gene regulatory sequences in the human genome.
- Understanding how variation in regulatory sequences influences human disease/biology.
- Assessing and exploiting next generation sequencing technologies for applications in both the energy and health sectors.
- Mammalian Functional Genomics Lab
- VISTA Enhancers
- VISTA Cardiac Enhancer Browser
- ENCODE
- FaceBase
Complete Publications