Molecular biologist Dr. Sean Beckwith’s passion for basic science research was sparked during
his college years by summer research on fruit flies and plants. He was hooked. Dr. Beckwith
strives to share the excitement of discovery and the skills of scientific thinking with students in
his courses and research group — building blocks of a liberal arts education that students will
use in whatever career path they pursue after college.

Dr. Beckwith joined the Hope College faculty in 2024 after completing a Ph.D. at Stanford
University and postdoctoral training at the University of Georgia researching genome dynamics
using budding yeast. During his graduate study and postdoctoral fellowship, he mentored a
dozen undergraduate researchers. He received awards for teaching excellence for three years
in a row from the Stanford University Department of Biology and broader Biosciences program.

At UGA he also taught a freshman seminar called Jumping for Joy: The Science and the
Scientists of Jumping Genes, which focused on the lives of Barbara McClintock, Jennifer Doudna
and other scientists from underrepresented groups and their scientific contributions to our
understanding of genome dynamics.

His teaching currently centers on genetics, genomics and epigenetics. Students in his Hope College research group participate in his study of a transposon (nicknamed a “jumping gene”) in the model organism baker’s yeast, in order to better understand:

• Virus life cycles, particularly retroviruses like HIV
• Protein misfolding in transmissible and neurodegenerative mammalian diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington’s and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (aka “mad cow disease”)
• Genome evolution

The research is led by genetics, informed by bioinformatics, and employs techniques used in biochemistry, cell biology and genomics. 

Areas of Expertise

• Transposable elements
• Epigenetics and chromatin
• Genome dynamics
• Yeast genetics

Education

• Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, 2018-2024 
• Ph.D., cell, molecular and organismal biology, Stanford University, 2018
• B.A., biology & biochemistry, Carleton College, 2012

Grants

“Retrotransposon Virus-like Particle Assembly,” National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award ($133,872), principal investigator, 2020–2022

Selected Publications

• “An Interchangeable Prion-like Domain Is Required for Ty1 Retrotransposition,” with E. Nomberg et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023
• “Structure of a Ty1 Restriction Factor Reveals the Molecular Basis of Transposition Copy Number Control,” with M. Cottee et al., Nature Communications, 2021
• “The INO80 Chromatin Remodeler Sustains Metabolic Stability by Promoting TOR Signaling and Regulating Histone Acetylation,” with E. Schwartz et al., PLOS Genetics, 2018
• “The Yeast INO80 Complex Operates as a Tunable DNA Length-Sensitive Switch to Regulate Nucleosome Sliding,” with C. Zhou et al., Molecular Cell, 2018

Outside the College

Dr. Beckwith grew up in Michigan, and after living across the country for his education and training is glad to have returned to the Mitten, where he enjoys the Michigan outdoors year-round, camping, skiing and being on the water. His interests include cooking, travel, board games, disc golf and cheering on women’s soccer. He and his spouse, Emily, are rooted in their faith and work to build the beloved community.