Projects
Our lab applies computational and experimental genomic approaches to study how genome sequences specify organismal form and function. We are particularly interested in the regulation of gene expression, and focus on:
- how the information that specifies when and where genes are expressed is encoded in genome sequences
- the role that regulated gene expression plays in animal development and the response of microbes to their environments
- how variation in and evolution of gene expression contributes to phenotypic variation and the remarkable diversity of life on Earth.
Current Projects in the Lab
- Comprehensive characterization of the regulatory network in the early Drosophila embryo
- Identification of regulatory sequences in Drosophila
- Characterizing the evolution of gene regulation in fungi
- Developing a theory of the molecular evolution of regulatory sequences
- Using genomic tools to study ecology and amphibian decline
- Enhancer identification by comparative genomics requires abundant non-conserved DNA
- Sepsid even-skipped enhancers are functionally conserved in Drosophila despite lack of sequence conservation