Henry Levin, Ph.D.

Henry Levin, Ph.D., was appointed deputy scientific director of the Division of Intramural Research in August 2024. He is also the head of the Section of Eukaryotic Transposable Elements, which analyzes long terminal repeats (LTR) retrotransposons and the integration of their cDNA into the chromosomes of host cells. 

Dr. Levin’s studies on the LTR retrotransposons in fission yeast identified mechanistic details of particle formation, reverse transcription, and integration. This research led to innovative methods of DNA sequencing that revealed integration behavior of transposable elements. With these methods, the laboratory demonstrated that transposable element integration in fission yeast occurs primarily at promoters resulting in altered gene expression. These sequencing methods were also applied to studies of HIV-1 and provided new insight into the integration behavior of HIV-1. In addition, Dr. Levin develops novel technologies that rely on transposable elements to characterize genetic function genome-wide. 

Dr. Levin has organized several conferences and symposia on transposon biology and retrovirus replication. His efforts in mentoring trainees have been recognized with the NIH Outstanding Mentor Award. Dr. Levin also serves as an elected board member of the Foundation for Advances in Education in the Sciences at NIH. 

Dr. Levin received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and then was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University with Jef Boeke, Ph.D.