Academic Scientists
Peter Andolfatto, Ph.D.
University of California, San DiegoPh. D. Thesis Title: Linkage and selection in natural populations of Drosophila : the population genetics of In(2L)t. 1999.
Justin Fay, Ph. D.
Washington University, St. LouisPh. D. Thesis Title: Detecting natural selection from patterns of DNA polymorphism and divergence / by Justin C. Fay. 2001.
Chay T. Kuo, M.D., Ph.D.
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NCPh. D. Thesis Title: Transcriptional Control of Lateral Mesoderm Differentation: The Roles of GATA4 and LKLF. 1997.
Dina Newman, Ph.D.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NYPh. D. Thesis Title: Multicellular regulation of a fiu-lacZ fusion in Escherichia coli colonies. 1998.
Eli Stahl, Ph.D.
University of California, Irvine, CAPh. D. Thesis Title: Ph. D. Thesis Title: Gene Conversion and Natural Selection at Duplicate Loci in Drosophila melanogaster. 2003.
Kevin Thornton, Ph.D.
University of California, Irvine, CAPh. D. Thesis Title: Gene Conversion and Natural Selection at Duplicate Loci in Drosophila melanogaster. 2003.
Chris Toomajian, Ph.D.
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.Ph. D. Thesis Title: Detecting recent natural selection at the human hemochromatosis locus (HFE) using allele age estimates 2002.
Eugene Y. Xu, Ph.D.
Northwestern University, Chicago, ILPh. D. Thesis Title: The X chromosome and spermatogenesis in Drosphila melanogaster: a molecular and genetic analysis. 1996.
Gerald J. Wyckoff, Ph.D.
University of Missouri, Kansas CityPh. D. Thesis Title: Detecting positive selection at the molecular level : new and revised methods for the analysis of divergence and polymorphism. 2000.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Ying Chen , Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: "Genetic Novelties Generated by non-coding RNAs and Alternative Splicing in Drosophila". 2007.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University College London, Laboratory of Professor Linda Partridge.
Current Research Topic: Quantitative genetics and adaptive evolution of clinal body size variation in Australian Drosophila populations.
Hongzheng Dai, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Investigation on the function of a young chimerical gene, sphinx, in Drosophila melanogaster. 2007.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Dr. Chua Nam-Hai
Current Research Topic: Evolution of viral countermeasures to miRNA-mediated resistance in plants. Regulation of small RNA in plants.
Steve Dorus, Ph.D
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Comparative evolutionary genomics in mammals : analysis of rapidly evolving genes involved in the primate nervous and reproductive systems. 2004.
Current position: Academic Fellow, University of Bath
Current Research Topic: I am interested in understanding the role sexual selection plays in the evolution of sperm form and function through the use of comparative proteomics and genomics. Interspecific comparative analysis of whole sperm proteomes has lead to the identification of evolutionarily unique genetic characteristics of sperm as well as conserved, core genetic components essential for normal spermatogenesis and fertility.
Patrick Evans, Ph.D
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Evolutionary analysis of primary microcephaly genes in primates. 2007.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago, Laboratory of Nancy Cox.
Current Research Topic: I'm working on pharmacogenetic genome-wide association studies. Currently I'm looking for variation that predicts drug response in pancreatic cancer.
Sarah Hall, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Genomic and molecular evolution of centromere satellite repeats in Brassicaceae species / by Sarah E. Hall. 2004.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Brandeis University, Laboratory of Piali Sengupta
Current Research Topic: I use the model system C. elegans to study cellular memory. I examine changes in neuronal gene expression (which lead to changes in worm behavior) as a result of exposure to pheromone during larval stages of worm development.
Terri Holzen. Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Identification of Factors that regulate the Meiosis-Specific Recombinase Dmc1 . 2005.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado, Denver Laboratory of Robert Sclafani.
Current Research Topic: Regulation of Replication in S. cerevisiae.
Melissa McMahill, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Evidence for Synthesis-Dependent Strand Annealing during Meiotic Recombination in S. cerevisiae. 2007
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University, Laboratory of Hank Seifert.
Current Research Topic: Mechanisms of Recombination in Nieisseria gonorrheae
Stephanie K. Mewborn, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: The dynamic nature and evolutionary history of the pericentromeric region of chromosome 15. 2004.
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago, Laboratory of Elizabeth McNally
Current Research Topic: Analysis of the role of inner nuclear membrane components in the control of gene expression as it relates to normal and abnormal cardiac development.
Emma Thompson, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Sequence variation and natural selection at the CYP3A and CAR loci. 2005.
Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Chicago, Laboratory of Carole Ober.
Current Research Topic: I'm currently comparing the pattern and distribution of global linkage disequilibrium (LD) in a young founder population, the North American Hutterites, to that of unrelated CEPH Caucasians (HapMap).
Eric Vallender, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Molecular Evolution and Positive Selection in the Emergence of the Human Phenotype. 2006.
Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, new England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Laboratory of Greg Miller.
Current Research Topic: My research focuses on developing non-human primate models of the genetic variation underlying human neuropsychiatric disease.
BUSINESS RESEARCH & PROFESSIONALS
Alison Adams, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Inferring Human Demography from Patterns of Genetic Variation. 2006.
Current Employer: L.E.K. Consulting
Current Position: Consultant
Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, Ph.D., MPH
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Myeloid Cell Signaling and Innate Immunity: The Role of c-fes and Statl in Monocyte and Neutrophil Function.2002.
Current Employer: Oregon Environmental Council
Current Position: Environmental Health Program Director (Designs and implements outreach programs and is an advocate for policies that protect Oregon children from exposure to toxic chemicals).
Karen Deak, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Long-distance signals in Arabidopsis thaliana. 2008.
Current Employer: Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP , St. Louis, MO
Current Position: Scientific Advisor
Megan Dunning, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Effects of host genotype and population structure in the interaction between Arabidopsis thaliana and its natural bacterial pathogens. 2008.
Current Employer: The Morton Arboretum.
Current Position: Manager of Natural History Education
Todd Sangster, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Quantitative Genetic Analysis of Hsp90-Buffered Variation. 2007.
Current Employer: Bain & Company.
Current Position: Consultant
Sean Sheridan, Ph.D.
Ph. D. Thesis Title: Comparative Analysis of Dmc1 and Rad51 Nucleoprotein Filaments. 2008.
Current Employer: University of Chicago
Current Position: Associate Project Manager, The University of Chicago Office of Technology & Intellectual Property.