Learn about Felix Horns PhD, Core Investigator at the Arc Institute and Assistant Professor of Genetics

Where did you move to Stanford from?

I moved to Stanford from Caltech, where I was a postdoc working in bioengineering and synthetic biology with Michael Elowitz.

Why did you want to come to Stanford?

Stanford is a uniquely collaborative place, where there are very low barriers to exploring new ideas with people from different disciplines. I was fortunate to experience this as a graduate student here, when I had a lot of fun working collaboratively with phenomenal scientists spanning biophysics, genomics, immunology, neuroscience, development, and beyond. People at Stanford do not put limits on what you can ask and what you can do. I felt that this would be the most exciting and inspiring atmosphere for pushing the boundaries of science.

What is the focus of your lab and research?

My lab focuses on creating and harnessing cutting-edge technologies to understand and control cellular behavior. One of the central challenges in biomedicine is deciphering how cells change over time. These dynamic changes are fundamental in many important processes -- from how our bodies develop, to how our tissues function when we're healthy, to how these systems go wrong in disease. However, traditional tools often fall short in capturing the dynamic nature of these changes in cells, which makes it hard to study these processes.

In my lab, we're creating new approaches to track and measure cell populations as they change within living organisms. Using these approaches, we aim to uncover fundamental principles of how cells and tissues function in healthy animals, and how these processes break down in disease. We're also developing new strategies to precisely manipulate cells in the body, enabling more targeted therapeutics. Our work merges synthetic biology and genomics to tackle important questions in human health, with a particular focus on immunology and neuroscience.

What do you want the Stanford community to know about you?

I'm a transposon and virus geek at heart. One of my undergraduate mentors, Prof. Michael Hood at Amherst College, introduced me to the idea that our own genomes are mostly made up of these selfish genetic elements, which replicate and spread for their own sake. I was shocked and captivated by this. Even more remarkably, our genomes harbor defense mechanisms that try to suppress these parasitic genes. This paints a picture of the genome as a battleground, shaped by molecular arms races and delicate balance between conflict and cooperation.

This fascinating interplay drew me into science, and I studied transposons and genome defenses in my undergraduate research. Today, I think about how we can harness transposons and viruses to understand and improve human health. Yet, beyond being a treasure trove of useful molecular parts, genomes – and their hidden complexities – remain an endless source of inspiration to me.

I owe my entire journey in science to my amazing, inspiring, and generous mentors, including Michael Hood, Steve Quake, Liqun Luo, Michael Elowitz, and many others. In my research group, I aim to pay forward their generosity by inspiring the next generation of scientists to pursue bold ideas, tackle big questions, and solve important problems for humanity. I think this starts with fostering curiosity and courage to leap into the unknown, and encouraging kindness, humility, and joy in our practice of science.