Payel Sen, Ph.D.

Manipulation of epigenetic states in multiple models can delay the onset of aging, extend lifespan and healthspan, and ameliorate disease symptoms. My long-term vision is to discover key epigenetic mechanisms driving aging. Using the mouse model and combining experimental, computational, and high-throughput genome-scale approaches we are identifying new druggable epigenetic targets to counter the functional decline and diseases of aging.

Dr. Sen received her bachelor’s degree in Physiology and master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta, India. She received her PhD in Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry from Southern Illinois University. Her PhD research involved dissecting the regulatory roles of accessory subunits in the yeast SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. For post-doctoral training, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Shelley Berger at the Epigenetics Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, where she performed two high-throughput screens and identified novel epigenetic regulators of senescence and aging. She has received awards and fellowships from the American Heart Association, American Federation for Aging Research, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, and the NIH. She joined the NIA in 2019 as a Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and leads the Functional Epigenomics Unit.