Karen Arndt

Karen Arndt is a Professor of Transcriptional Control at the University of Pittsburgh. Through her work, Arndt seeks to understand gene expression in eukaryotes, including all animals and plants. Her lab utilizes a modern mix of genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches to understand the proteins that control gene expression in eukaryotes. The research on gene expression and transcription sheds light on various types of cancer and neurological defects. 

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Genetics Society of America. She has received a National Institutes of Health Outstanding Investigator Award. Arndt is also dedicated to mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers and received a Departmental Impact Award from Pitt’s Department of Biological Sciences in 2024.

Arndt received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.