As a pioneer in the field of epigenomics, Dr. Bing Ren has devoted his career to unraveling the complexities of gene regulation and chromatin architecture. Dr. Ren’s research has led to fundamental discoveries in gene regulation, including the mapping of millions of regulatory elements within the human genome, elucidation of chromatin organization principles, and the functional interpretation of non-coding disease variants.

Dr. Ren has played a central role in multiple large-scale genomics initiatives, including the ENCODE Project, the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium, the International Human Epigenome Consortium, and the 4D Nucleome Consortium. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how epigenetic modifications influence cellular identity and human disease, particularly in neurodegeneration and cancer.

Dr. Ren earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University in 1998 and completed postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute in 2001. Prior to joining Columbia University, he served on the faculty of the University of California San Diego (2001-2025), a member of the Ludwig Cancer Research at San Diego (2001-2023), and Directed the Center for Epigenomics (2016 – 2025). He has received numerous accolades, including the Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research, the Ray Wu Award for Outstanding Leadership and Accomplishment in Biomedical Sciences, and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.