Ken Zaret is the Joseph Leidy Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the Associate Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the Co-Director of the Epigenetics Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Zaret obtained his PhD at the University of Rochester and did postdoctoral studies at the University of California, San Francisco. His laboratory investigates gene function in the context of chromatin and signaling that induces cell type specification in development. His work revealed pioneer transcription factors that expose target gene sequences in progenitor cells and specific signals that induce liver and pancreas fates in mammalian embryos. Ken has been an Editor of the journals MCB and Development, and received a MERIT award from the NIGMS, the Hans Popper Basic Science Award from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the American Liver Foundation, and is a Fellow of the AAAS.