Trevor van Eeuwen

2026 Regional Award Winner — Post-Doc

Trevor van Eeuwen

Current Position:
Research Associate, Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology

Institution:
The Rockefeller University

Discipline:
Biochemistry & Structural Biology

Recognized for: Using advanced imaging techniques and cell studies to uncover how hidden DNA elements copy themselves, trigger immune responses, and reveal clues to autoimmune disease and cancer.


Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Mobile Genetic Elements, the Dark Genome, Innate Immunity

Previous Positions:

B.S., Fairleigh Dickinson University, USA
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, USA (Advisor: Kenji Murakami)
Adjunct Lecturer, Hunter College
Postdoctoral Associate, Rockefeller University (Advisor: Michael Rout)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Rockefeller University

Research Summary:

Much of the human genome was once considered “junk DNA,” but hidden within it are elements that can copy and move themselves, influencing health and disease. Trevor van Eeuwen, PhD, develops and applies advanced structural biology methods, including cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical studies, to reveal how these mobile DNA elements work at the molecular level. His research shows how they copy themselves, move through the genome, and trigger immune responses that may contribute to autoimmune disease and cancer. By exposing how these hidden genetic elements drive disease, van Eeuwen’s work could help identify new targets for diagnostics and therapies.

“I am incredibly grateful to be recognized by the Blavatnik Family Foundation for my research on retrotransposons and the Dark Genome. The Dark Genome is an untapped source of therapeutic potential, and hope my continued work will help illuminate it.”

Key Publications:

  1. E. T. Baldwin, T. van Eeuwen, D. Hoyos, A. Zalevsky, E. P. Tchesnokov, R. Sánchez, L. H. Di Stefano, F. X. Ruiz, M. Hancock, T. Walpole, K. Riento, M. Augustin, A. Lammens, A. Jestel, P. Upla, K. Xibinaku, S. Congreve, M. Hennink, K. B. Rogala, A. M. Schneider, J. E. Fairman, S. M. Christensen, W. Miao, A. Sali, O. Weichenrieder, K. H. Burns, M. Götte, M. P. Rout, E. Arnold, B. D. Greenbaum, D. L. Romero, J. LaCava, M. S. Taylor. Structures, functions and adaptations of the human LINE-1 ORF2 protein. Nature, 2024.
  2. B. D. Miller, B. A. Smail, T. van Eeuwen, H. Kodama, K. Kondo, H. Jiang, A. O’Brien, N. Dai, R. J. Trachman III, S. Guan, J. A. Karlow, W.-C. Cheng, J. M. Sedivy, G. Jogl, M. P. Rout, J. LaCava, K. H. Burns, M. S. Taylor. Rapid DNA cleavage by the LINE-1 endonuclease proximal to DNA ends and at mismatches. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2026.
  3. J. E. Warrick, D. Attili, T. van Eeuwen, B. Pastore, S. E. Hoffmann-Weitsman, N. C. Forsyth, W. Tang, S. J. Barmada, M. G. Kearse. An autism spectrum disorder mutation in Topoisomerase 3β causes accumulation of covalent mRNA intermediates by disrupting metal binding within the zinc finger domain. Nucleic Acids Research, 2025.
  4. T. Kozai, J. Fernandez-Martinez, L. E. Kapinos, P. Gallardo, T. van Eeuwen, M. Saladin, R. Eliasian, A. Mazur, W. Zhang, J. Tempkin, R. Panatala, M. Delgado-Izquierdo, R. Escribano-Marin, Q. Feng, C. Lin, A. Sali, B. T. Chait, B. Raveh, L. M. Veenhoff, M. P. Rout, R. Y. H. Lim. Karyopherins remodel the dynamic organization of the nuclear pore complex transport barrier. Nature Cell Biology, 2025.

Other Honors:

2023 Anderson Center for Cancer Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
2023 New England CryoEM Symposium Poster Prize
2020 Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students Finalist, University of Pennsylvania
2017 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention
2016–2018 Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics Training Grant, University of Pennsylvania

In the Media:

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