Laboratory of sex differences in human biology

Established 2024 at Duke University School of Medicine

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Center for Advanced Genomics Technologies

We are hiring a research technician for summer 2026 - spread the word and please apply here!

Welcome

Colorful silhouette illustration of people of various ages and heights standing together, transitioning from orange to blue.

There are widespread sex differences in human phenotypes, but their causes remain poorly understood. Our goal is to define the molecular mechanisms driving sex differences in human biology to advance healthcare across the spectrum of sex.

Featured publications

Our first X-plainers blog post is live!

4/13/26 Come learn about X chromosome inactivation - one of the topics that our lab is actively researching! Read the blog post here.

Lab News

Hannah passes prelim exam!

4/8/26 Hannah is now a PhD Candidate! Congratulations, Hannah!

Alexis LaRosa joins the lab as a PhD student!

1/6/26 Alexis is an MD/PhD student originally from Long Beach, Mississippi. She received her BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Tulane University in 2023. During her time at Tulane, Alexis was a member of the Belancio lab, where she studied the relationship between LINE-1 transposon expression and exposure to light at night. Outside of lab, Alexis enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and indoor cycling. Welcome, Alexis!