Chrystal Ho Pao, PhD

Associate Professor of Biology
2006

BA, University of California Berkeley
PhD, Harvard University

Dr. Ho Pao worked at Genentech Inc., a biotechnology company, as an intern and researched on the efficiency of producing human proteins in animal cells. Her graduate research involved constructing mouse models of two human diseases with the techniques of genetic engineering. She also participated in a project locating a human gene pertinent for proper bone development. As a postdoctoral research fellow, she investigated molecular cues specifying the precise neuronal connections between the eyes and the brain in experimental subjects including mice and ferrets. She has published articles in scientific journals including: Science, Nature Genetics, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neurobiology, Journal of Cellular Physiology, Brain Research Bulletin, NeuroReport, and Journal of Neuroscience Research. Dr. Ho Pao’s publication record attests to the broad spectrum of her technical skills in human genetics and molecular biology.

Her husband, Dr. David Pao, teaches New Testament at the Divinity School. Their twin daughters keep them entertained and grounded.