Ronald Breaker

Ronald Breaker is the Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at Yale University. He is jointly appointed in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, where he serves as Chair. Dr. Breaker received his B.S. degree (biology, chemistry) from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and his Ph.D. (nucleic acids synthesis) from Purdue University. As a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Gerald Joyce at The Scripps Research Institute, he pioneered various 'test-tube evolution' strategies to engineer nucleic acids and created the first examples of catalytic DNAs or 'deoxyribozymes.' Since 1995, his laboratory at Yale has focused on the discovery and analysis of noncoding nucleic acids. His research has led to the discovery and validation of five natural ribozyme classes and numerous classes of designer ribozymes and deoxyribozymes. His laboratory established the first experimental proofs that metabolites are directly bound by messenger RNA elements called riboswitches. These discoveries support the hypothesis that some modern riboswitches and ribozymes are ancient but sophisticated relics from life forms that thrived before the evolutionary emergence of proteins. His current research efforts involve the discovery and analysis of unusual, structured nucleic acids and their roles in the biological and biochemical processes of organisms from all three domains of life. Dr. Breaker served as Chair of the Yale MCDB Department from 2010 to 2016 and has twice served as Chair of the Yale Tenure Appointments Committee in the Biological Sciences (TACBS). He has served as Chair of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry since 2023. He currently participates on several scientific advisory boards including the JASON Defense Advisory Group.

Ronald Breaker is a researcher at Yale University specializing in nucleic acids. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms of gene regulation through RNA-based systems. Breaker's research explores how riboswitches and other RNA structures control gene expression in response to metabolites and environmental signals. His studies include the structural and functional analysis of riboswitches, which are RNA elements that regulate gene expression by binding small molecules. He has also investigated the role of RNA in bacterial gene regulation, including the interaction of metabolites with mRNA and the impact of RNA structure on gene control. His research has contributed to the understanding of RNA's role in the RNA world and its implications for genetic control.