Evolution

We are interested in understanding the genetic basis for bacterial interactions with other organisms (be they plants, insects, fungi, other bacteria), and on how evolution shapes these interactions. By better understanding the rules and molecules that structure such relationships, we hope to develop new ways to manipulate these interactions (e.g. through the development of specific antimicrobial compounds) or shape their evolutionary dynamics through time.

We learn history from the genomes of humans, tumors, and other species. Our studies reveal how evolution works at the molecular level, offering fundamental insight into how humans and pathogens adapt to challenges.

Jeremiah Hackett’s research interests are in the areas of genome evolution, the evolution of photosynthesis and the physiology of harmful algae. Part of his research investigates how eukaryotes acquire plastids through endosymbiosis and how this process influences genome evolution through gene transfer. Another main area of research is the ecology and physiology of harmful algae. His lab is using microarrays to determine global gene expression patterns of harmful algae under various growth conditions. These gene expression profiles will be used to determine the factors that lead to harmful algal blooms in the oceans.

Michael Hammer has headed a productive research lab in human evolutionary genetics. His lab were early adopters of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology successfully employed NGS methods to identify molecular lesions causing neurodevelopmental disorders in undiagnosed children. His lab is also currently pursuing studies to identify modifier genes that alter the expression of major genes and how they contribute to phenotypic heterogeneity in Mendelian disorders.

Understanding how genes and genomes are shaped over many generations by the environment in which organisms live in. We also aim to examine how these changes accumulate and might facilitate the genetic divergence between populations and eventually possibly the origin of species. Lastly we aim to leverage the power of genomics to understand the evolution of insecticide resistance in agricultural pests and to find solution to their management.

We study the biodiversity, biogeography, evolutionary origins, and ecological roles of plant-associated microorganisms. We use a combination of traditional culture-based microbiology, functional assays, and next-generation 'omics tools to study microbial symbiont communities in diverse lineages of land plants at scales ranging from local to global. We are interested in characterizing the biotic and abiotic factors shaping the assembly of plant-associated fungal communities, how community structure and diversity impacts ecosystem function, and the evolutionary dynamics of fungal symbiont evolution in the context of closely related pathogens and saprotrophs.