The lab is broadly interested in addressing two questions: (1) what are the genetic and developmental mechanisms by which form and function are generated during vertebrate development? and (2) how are these processes modified during evolutionary time to produce the spectacular phenotypic diversity seen in nature?
We combine the study of emerging model organisms, because of their diverse, naturally occurring and ecologically relevant phenotypes, with traditional model species, because of the powerful molecular and genetic tools available, to explore questions relating to patterning and the evolution of novelty in the mammalian skin. The mammalian skin is a powerful model because it exhibits remarkable diversity in structure and function across species, is experimentally accessible/tractable, and the molecular mechanisms underlying its formation are well characterized. We use a variety of approaches, including experimental embryology, transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling, comparative genomics, functional genetics, and imaging, to uncover gene function and understand mechanisms of evolutionary change. |
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LAB NEWS:
6/15/2020
Graduate student Jorge Moreno receives an HHMI Gilliam Graduate Fellowship!
6/12/2020
Postdocs Charlie Feigin and Matt Johnson receive Ruth L. Kirschtein (F32) Postdoctoral Fellowships from the NIH. On the same day, no less!
6/9/2020
The lab receives seed funds to start a new project on marsupial antimicrobial peptides. See story here.
5/29/2020
Undergraduate Lydia Zhong receives an Outstanding Thesis Award from the Department of Molecular Biology
6/15/2020
Graduate student Jorge Moreno receives an HHMI Gilliam Graduate Fellowship!
6/12/2020
Postdocs Charlie Feigin and Matt Johnson receive Ruth L. Kirschtein (F32) Postdoctoral Fellowships from the NIH. On the same day, no less!
6/9/2020
The lab receives seed funds to start a new project on marsupial antimicrobial peptides. See story here.
5/29/2020
Undergraduate Lydia Zhong receives an Outstanding Thesis Award from the Department of Molecular Biology