Dame Caroline Dean DBE FRS[8] (born 2 April 1957) is a British plant scientist working at the John Innes Centre.

Her goal is to understand the chromatin dynamics that enable switching between epigenetic states and quantitative regulation of gene expression.

Epigenetic switching and quantitative regulation of FLC play a central role in seasonal timing in plants.

FLC regulation involves an antisense-mediated chromatin mechanism that coordinately influences transcription initiation and elongation.

Her nomination for the Royal Society reads: Dean has made outstanding contributions in the study of developmental timing in plants.