Rate My Professor Donna Whelan

Whelan's research employs advanced biophysical methods, including single-molecule super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), infrared and Raman spectroscopies, atomic force microscopy, and expansion microscopy, to visualize DNA damage response pathways. Key focuses encompass spatiotemporal dynamics of homologous recombination repair at collapsed replication forks, double-strand break resection complexes, nucleolar transcriptional silencing, and lipid droplet roles in antiviral immunity. She developed a custom world-class fluorescence microscope assembled from global components and established correlative imaging pipelines for single-cell and subcellular analysis. International collaborations include Eli Rothenberg at NYU, Markus Sauer at University of Würzburg, Peter Dedecker at KU Leuven, and Toby Bell, Rico Tabor, Alison Funston at Monash University. Prominent publications feature "Spatiotemporal dynamics of homologous recombination repair at single collapsed replication forks" (Nature Communications, 2018), "Super-resolution mapping of cellular double-strand break resection complexes during homologous recombination" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021), "Nanoscale characterization of drug-induced microtubule filament dysfunction using super-resolution microscopy" (BMC Biology, 2021), and "Understanding DNA organization, damage, and repair with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy" (Methods and Applications in Fluorescence, 2021). With over 2,500 citations, her contributions elucidate cancer-linked DNA repair mechanisms and cellular stress responses, enhancing molecular insights globally.