Dr Brian Carrick
Dr Brian Carrick is a postdoctoral researcher at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in the group of Dr Lori Passmore, where he studies how messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are regulated.
Brian’s interest in RNA began during his undergraduate studies with Professor David Engelke at the University of Michigan, where he completed a BS (Honors) in Biochemistry. He went on to earn a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under the supervision of Professors Judith Kimble and Marvin Wickens. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, he investigated mRNA regulatory mechanisms in the germline of the model organism C. elegans.
In 2024, Brian joined the Passmore group to explore how the ends of mRNAs are controlled by large molecular machines, combining approaches in biochemistry, cryo-electron microscopy, and genomics. In 2025, he was awarded a fellowship from the Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF), generously funded by the Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation, to support this work. At the LMB, he is an active member of the Postdoctoral Association and served as its president from 2025–2026.
Outside the lab, Brian enjoys cooking, traveling, and playing or listening to music.
Select publications
- Brian H. Carrick*, Sarah L. Crittenden, MaryGrace Linsley, Stephanie J. Costa Dos Santos, Marvin Wickens & Judith Kimble*. The PUF RNA-binding protein, FBF-2, maintains stem cells without binding to RNA. RNA. 2025 Apr 16;31(5):623-632. doi: 10.1261/rna.080307.124. PMID: 39984282; PMCID: PMC12001965. *co-corresponding author
- Chen Qiu, Sarah L. Crittenden, Brian H. Carrick, Lucas B Dillard, Stephany J Costa Dos Santos, Vankata P Dandey, Robert C Dutcher, Elizabeth G Viverette, Robert N Wine, Jennifer Woodworth, Zachary T Campbell, Marvin Wickens, Mario J Borgnia, Judith Kimble, Traci M Tanaka Hall. A higher order PUF complex is central to regulation of C. elegans germline stem cells. Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 2;16(1):123. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55526-x. PMID: 39747099; PMCID: PMC11696143.
- Brian H. Carrick*, Sarah L. Crittenden, Fan Chen, MaryGrace Linsley, Jennifer Woodworth, Peggy Kroll-Conner, Ahlan Ferdous, Sunduz Keles, Marvin Wickens* & Judith Kimble*. PUF partner interactions at a conserved interface shape the RNA-binding landscape and cell fate in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Cell. 2024 Mar 11;59(5):661-675.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.01.005. Epub 2024 Jan 29. PMID: 38290520; PMCID: PMC11253550. *co-corresponding author
- Ahlan Ferdous, Stephany Dos-Santos, Charlotte Kanzler, Heaji Shin, Sadie Jackson, Brian H. Carrick, Marvin Wickens & Judith Kimble. The in vivo functional significance of PUF hub partnerships in C. elegans germline stem cells. Development. 2023 May 1;150(9):dev201705. PMID: 37070766; PMCID: PMC10259659.
- Douglas F. Porter*, Aman Prasad*, Brian H. Carrick, Peggy Kroll-Conner, Marvin Wickens, & Judith Kimble. Toward Identifying Subnetworks from FBF Binding Landscapes in Caenorhabditis Spermatogenic or Oogenic Germlines. G3 (Bethesda). 2019 Jan 9. doi: 10.1534/g3.118.200300. PMID: 30459181; PMCID: PMC6325917. *These authors contributed equally
- Brian H. Carrick, Linxuan Hao, Philip J. Smaldino, and David R. Engelke. A Novel Recombinant DNA System for High Affinity Purification of Proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. G3 (Bethesda). 2015 Dec 29. doi: 10.1534/g3.115.025106. PMID: 26715090; PMCID: PMC4777120.
- Paul D. Good, Ann Kendall, James Ignatz-Hoover, Erin L. Miller, Dave A. Pai, Sara R. Rivera, Brian Carrick, and David R. Engelke. Silencing near tRNA genes is nucleosome-mediated and distinct from boundary element function. Gene 526(1):7-15, 2013. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.05.016. Epub 2013 May 23. PMID: 23707796; PMCID: PMC3745993
Select awards
- Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF), 2025-2028
- William H. Peterson Fellow in Biochemistry, 2020-2021
- Society for Developmental Biology Early Career Trainee Award, 2019
- NSF Graduate Research Fellow (GRFP), 2017-2022
Further links
Bluesky profile
ORCID page
Passmore group page
