Isaac Hilton, PhD
Associate Professor, BioSciences
Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Ph.D. Program
Rice Synthetic Biology Institute
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University (2013-2017)
Ph.D., Genetics and Molecular Biology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (2013)
B.S., Biological Sciences, University of Missouri Columbia (2004)
About Isaac Hilton
Isaac Hilton is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University and a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. His work sits at the intersection of precision genome and epigenome editing, synthetic biology, and human cell engineering. The overarching goal of the Hilton Lab is to better understand and harness human cell biology for next-generation medicines.
Research
Hilton is a pioneer in developing cutting-edge biotechnologies, including CRISPR/Cas systems, gene delivery platforms, and synthetic gene circuitry, to decode human gene-regulatory logic and engineer cellular behaviors for discovery and medicine. Team members work in close collaboration with colleagues at Rice, the Texas Medical Center, and beyond, toward biomedical advances encompassing:
- Human Epigenetics & Gene Regulation
- Gene & Cell Therapies
- Genome & Epigenome Engineering
- Immunoengineering & Cancer
- Regenerative Medicine
Background
Dr. Hilton earned his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, supported by NIH pre-doctoral fellowships in Genetics and Virology. As a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University, he built some of the first programmable CRISPR/Cas9-based epi-editing platforms, including a CRISPR-based acetyltransferase recognized as one of The Scientist‘s Top Ten Innovations of 2015, and earned the Duke Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering Postdoctoral Achievement Award.
In 2018, Dr. Hilton was recruited to Rice University through a CPRIT Cancer Scholar Award to launch his research laboratory. Since joining Rice, the lab has grown into a multidisciplinary research program with support from state and federal agencies and private foundations, to pursue biological discoveries and the translation and commercialization of the team’s technologies.
Training the Next Generation
Mentorship is central to the lab’s culture. Dr. Hilton is committed to training skilled, independent researchers who are prepared to lead in academia, industry, entrepreneurship, government, and beyond, continuing a tradition of exceptional mentorship that shaped his own career.
Building Community
Dr. Hilton is a first-generation college student and an advocate for people living with autoimmune and neurological conditions. The Hilton Lab is committed to building a welcoming, inclusive environment and actively engages in outreach, REU/RET programs, and community initiatives to broaden participation in STEM.