Lucia Rothman-Denes

Lucia Beatriz Rothman-Denes (born February 17, 1943) is an Argentinian American microbiologist who is the A. J. Carlson Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Chicago. She is known for studying the regulation of transcription and host interactions that occur during bacterial virus infection. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2014.

Early life and education Rothman-Denes was born in Buenos Aires in 1943 to Boris and Carmen Rothman. She studied at the University of Buenos Aires and graduated in 1964 with a licenciada degree in chemistry.

Research and career In 1967, Rothman-Denes was appointed to the faculty at the University of Chicago. She was made a Full Professor in 1984, and the A. J. Carlson Professor in 2015. She studies how bacterial viruses impact the molecular processes within a host. She is particularly interested in DNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

Rothman-Denes' current work considers the mechanism at the onset of an injection, when proteins and genomes are injected into a host. 2014 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Rothman-Denes holds several patents to protect her inventions, including novel RNA polymerases and transcription substrates.