In my work, I aim to elucidate what are the intrinsic and environmental ques that control cell identity dynamics, and how can we use them to manipulate cell fate. Specifically, we wish to learn [1] what is distinct in the epigenetic regulation of stem cells, [2] how environmental stress affects cell fate, and [3] how we can utilize the data from aims 1 and 2 to develop biotechnological applications for the benefit of humans, animals, and the planet.