Coleen Murphy

Coleen T. Murphy is the James A. Elkins, Jr. Professor in the Life Sciences and a Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, where she also serves as Director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics since July 2023. She earned a B.S. in Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston in 1992, followed by post-baccalaureate research at UT Southwestern, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Stanford University in 1999 under James A. Spudich, and postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco with Cynthia Kenyon from 2000 to 2005. Murphy joined Princeton University in 2005 as an Assistant Professor and Richard B. Fisher Preceptorship in Integrative Genomics in the Department of Molecular Biology and Lewis-Sigler Institute, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012, full Professor in 2015, and named James A. Elkins, Jr. Professor in 2021. She previously served as Associate Director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute from 2021 to 2023 and Director of the Quantitative and Computational Biology program from 2012 to 2016.

Murphy's research specializes in the molecular mechanisms governing aging, longevity pathways, cognitive decline, reproductive aging, and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Her lab explores insulin/IGF signaling, TGF-β pathways, bacterial RNA sensing for pathogen avoidance, and neuronal epigenetics in memory. Key publications include “Genes that act downstream of DAF-16 to influence the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans” (Nature, 2003), “TGF-β Scleraxis and Insulin Signaling Regulate Reproductive Aging via Oocyte and Germline Quality Maintenance” (Cell, 2010), “PQM-1 Complements DAF-16 as a Key Transcriptional Regulator of DAF-2-Mediated Development and Longevity” (Cell, 2013), “C. elegans interpret bacterial non-coding RNA to learn pathogenic avoidance” (Nature, 2020), and her book How We Age: The Science of Longevity (Princeton University Press, 2023). Murphy has garnered major awards such as the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (2015, 2021), NIH New Innovator Award (2008), Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences (2006), Sloan Research Fellowship (2006), American Society for Cell Biology Women in Cell Biology Early Career Award (2008) and Mid-Career Award (2019), HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar (2016), and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2024). She chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and delivers invited lectures including the Nansen Neuroscience Lecture (2018).

Professional Email: ctmurphy@princeton.edu