Dawn Kochanek

About

Dr. Kochanek is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor and Faculty Lead for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Programs at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies. Prior to her joining Northeastern University, Dr. Kochanek was an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. At Texas Tech University, Dr. Kochanek was the recipient of numerous awards in teaching excellence including winning Outstanding Teaching Faculty of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

Dr. Kochanek obtained her B.S. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During this time she spent her summer’s as an intern at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge (now Takeda). She went on to earn an M.S. in Biology from New York University, focusing on Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci. Followed by completing her M.Ph and Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her Ph.D. thesis emphasized the importance of small RNA regulation in axonal regeneration. Following the RNA path she went on to complete post-doctoral associates at Yale University and Harvard University, concentrating on RNA regulation in cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.