Dr Ksenia Skvortsova

Dr Ksenia Skvortsova is an epigeneticist investigating how epigenetic changes affect the immune system, with a particular focus on uncovering why autoimmunity disproportionately affects females.

She completed her MSc at Novosibirsk State University in 2011 and her PhD in November 2017 at the Garvan Institute, where she studied the epigenetic origins of cancer under the supervision of Associate Professor Clare Stirzaker and Professor Susan Clark. For her postdoctoral research, Ksenia moved into the field of developmental biology, joining Associate Professor Ozren Bogdanovic’s laboratory to study DNA methylation dynamics across vertebrate development. In September 2024 she joined Garvan’s Faculty and established her own lab, supported by the NHMRC Investigator Fellowship, ARC Discovery Project grant and previously by Early Career Fellowship from Cancer Institute NSW.

Ksenia leads the Skvortsova Lab, which investigates the molecular mechanisms driving X chromosome reactivation in female immune cells and its role in immune system development and sex disparities in autoimmune disease.

The lab combines single-cell long-read transcriptomics, high-parameter flow cytometry, epigenetic profiling of immune cells from animal models and clinical samples, CRISPR genome editing, and multi-omics bioinformatic analysis to uncover how epigenetic regulation shapes immune cell identity and function.

Ksenia's research aims to explain the pronounced sex bias observed in autoimmune conditions and identify new avenues for their diagnosis and treatment.