Possible Rotation Projects:
- Develop new optogenetic methods to pattern fate selection in stem cells.
- Investigate the molecular mechanisms of error correction in embryos.
- Develop new technologies to image embryos and organoids at large scale.
Training Technologies Used:
- Fluorescence microscopy
- Optogenetics
- Light sheet imaging
- Genome editing
- Tissue engineering
- B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2006, Michigan State University
- PhD. Systems Biology, 2014, Harvard University
McNamara HM, Guyer AM, Jia BZ, Parot VJ, Dobbs CD, Schier AF, Cohen AE, Lord ND. Optogenetic control of Nodal signaling patterns. Development. 2025 May 1;152(9):dev204506. doi: 10.1242/dev.204506. Epub 2025 May 1. PMID: 40145591; PMCID: PMC12070070.
Lord ND, Norman TM, Yuan R, Bakshi S, Losick R, Paulsson J. Stochastic antagonism between two proteins governs a bacterial cell fate switch. Science. 2019 Oct 4;366(6461):116-120. doi: 10.1126/science.aaw4506. PMID: 31604312; PMCID: PMC7526939.
Ramjattun K, Wang A, Lee H, Giri S, Chen Y, MacDonald WA, Lord ND, Poholek AC, Lee Y, Das J. Characterizing spatial functional microniches with SpaceTravLR. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Nov 14:2025.11.13.688264. doi: 10.1101/2025.11.13.688264. PMID: 41292756; PMCID: PMC12642522.
Lord ND, Carte AN, Abitua PB, Schier AF. The pattern of nodal morphogen signaling is shaped by co-receptor expression. Elife. 2021 May 26;10:e54894. doi: 10.7554/eLife.54894. PMID: 34036935; PMCID: PMC8266389.
Lord ND, Carte AN, Abitua PB, Schier AF. The pattern of nodal morphogen signaling is shaped by co-receptor expression. Elife. 2021 May 26;10:e54894. doi: 10.7554/eLife.54894. PMID: 34036935; PMCID: PMC8266389.
Norman TM, Lord ND, Paulsson J, Losick R. Memory and modularity in cell-fate decision making. Nature. 2013 Nov 28;503(7477):481-486. doi: 10.1038/nature12804. Epub 2013 Nov 20. PMID: 24256735; PMCID: PMC4019345.
The Lord Lab aims to understand embryos encode instructions for their cells in spatially-resolved patterns of signaling and gene expression. To this end, the Lord Lab is building new methods that enable on-demand generation of signaling patterns in stem cells, organoids and embryos. Easily programmable genetic perturbations— made possible by TALENs and CRISPR nucleases— revolutionized developmental biology. By bringing similar innovations to signaling patterns, the Lord lab hopes to reveal the pathways and principles underlying robust development. Over the long run, the Dr. Lord aims to harness these principles to guide the design of robust, error-correcting synthetic developmental systems and tissues.
