Annie Ciernia is an early career researcher at the University of British Columbia and the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair for Understanding Gene Expression in the Brain. She has extensive expertise in molecular biology, epigenetics bioinformatics and animal behavior testing.

Ciernia’s research focuses on understanding how early-life perturbations to the epigenome alter cell-type-specific functions in the developing brain and lead to changes in behavior. Her lab specifically examines gene regulatory mechanisms in microglia and neurons during development using a combination of next generation sequencing, advanced bioinformatics and in vivo and in vitro mouse models. Together, Ciernia’s work aims to understand the fundamental regulatory mechanisms governing gene expression in the brain and how disruption of gene regulation contributes to neurodevelopmental conditions.