Kathleen is the Walter and Ruth Schubert Family Chair and Professor and former Head of the Division of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology, in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Her lab investigates the biochemistry, biology, and biotechnology applications of eukaryotic non-LTR retrotransposons.

Kathleen is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her awards include and American Society for Cell Biology Early Career Life Scientist Award, the Earl and Thressa Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and an N.I.H Director’s Pioneer Award.

Kathleen graduated from Yale University in 1987 with a combined B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, and from M.I.T. in 1992 with a Ph.D. in Biology. After postdoctoral studies at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with Nobel Prize winner Carol Greider, she joined the faculty of University of California at Berkeley in 1995.