Genomics

All developmental and cellular processes are ultimately encoded in information residing in the genome. The phenotype of an organism is the result of the spatially- and temporally-coordinated expression of this genetic information. Genome sciences seek to disentangle these complex systems using a combination of high-throughput wet-lab approaches and computational tools. New advances in enabling technologies, such as next-generation sequencing, continue to give genomics a valuable role in understanding the fundamentals of gene regulation and phenotypic variation. In addition, the integration of genomics and medicine has provided critical information on the biological pathways leading to disease, and will continue to pave the way towards novel, and increasingly personalized medical treatments. Current research interests in our group include epigenetics and RNAi, the characterization of fungal secondary metabolites, uncovering the genetic basis of phenotypic variation with genome-scale tools, and elucidating key neurodevelopmental mechanisms.