Zebulon Levine

About Zebulon Levine

I am a PhD-trained chemical biologist with foundational training in pharmacology, molecular biology, and functional genomics. My background in small molecule design and mechanism-of-action studies provides strong chemical intuition, which I apply in data-rich experimental systems to dissect regulatory networks in mammalian cells. I am particularly interested in approaches that leverage high-throughput perturbation, profiling, and phenotypic datasets to uncover uncharacterized biological dependencies and surface new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. I am also drawn to emerging modalities that expand the space of tractable targets, including those previously considered undruggable.In my current postdoctoral work, I lead hypothesis-generating discovery efforts using CRISPRi screening, combined with flow cytometry and translatome profiling, to identify regulators of ribosome degradation and translational quality control. I have developed scalable experimental platforms for systematic perturbation and multi-modal data integration, and I design targeted biochemical and genomic follow-up experiments to test mechanistic hypotheses emerging from this work. I coordinate closely with internal and external collaborators to generate orthogonal datasets and accelerate biological insight, with the goal of uncovering novel targets with translational potential.

Experience

1. Postdoctoral Research Fellow

   Whitehead Institute

   Jun 2020 — Present · Cambridge, MA, US

   Helen Hay Whitney Fellow of Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Laboratory of Prof. Jonathan S. Weissman.Focus: Ribosome turnover, translational control, and discovery of regulatory pathways using CRISPRi screening in quiescent and differentiated cell models-Developed and optimized functional genomic platforms to study ribosome degradation in non-dividing and differentiated cells, integrating CRISPRi screening with biochemical and sequencing-based readouts-Designed novel assays enabling pooled perturbation of ribosome turnover, applicable across diverse mammalian cell types-Combined genetic, cytometric, and translatome profiling approaches to uncover uncharacterized pathways regulating quality control of protein synthesis machinery-Led cross-functional collaborations to develop tools for spatial and temporal analysis of translation at single-cell and population levels-Mentored junior scientists and coordinated multi-group projects, fostering successful execution of complex discovery workflows-Manuscript in preparation detailing newly characterized mechanisms of ribosome quality control and implications for cellular homeostasis.

Education

• Williams College

  BA, Chemistry, Biochemistry

  2007 — 2011

• Woodstock Academy

  High School Diploma

  2003 — 2007

• University of Cambridge

  MPhil, Biochemistry

  2012 — 2013

• Harvard University

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Chemical Biology

  2013 — 2019

• University of Cambridge

  MPhil, Chemistry

  2011 — 2012

Skills

• Spectroscopy
• Molecular Biology
• Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Data Analysis
• Microsoft Office
• Chemistry
• Science
• Biochemistry
• Research
• Pcr
• Organic Synthesis
• Organic Chemistry
• Lifesciences
• Cell Biology
• Analysis