Aman Husbands

Aman Husbands is the Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Assistant Professor of Biology. He is also a core faculty member of the Penn Epigenetics Institute.

As a plant molecular biologist, Husbands studies gene regulation of plant function. When asked about his research, he states that he is “primarily interested in control. Biology is incredibly complicated, and we want to understand the regulatory mechanisms that make it work. How do organisms generate complex morphologies, and how do they do it with such reproducibility?” Since starting his own lab at Ohio State University (OSU) in 2018, Husbands has made great strides in developing insights into these important questions. He utilizes a variety of state-of-the-art molecular approaches to better understand gene function, and has recently expanded his analyses beyond plants to include the human tumor suppressor Defective in Liver Cancer-1 (DLC1).

As a teacher Husbands has built a reputation as being innovative, and cares deeply about enhancing equity and diversity in science and STEM fields. He has developed a highly-regarded and highly-interactive short course that introduces undergraduates to the importance of genetic mutants in developmental biology, and is the founder of Columbus Campus Research Opportunities, which works to bring students from satellite campuses of OSU to the main campus to complete a nine-week full-time internship (which includes housing and a monthly stipend).