Jelena Erceg is studying the role of parental genome folding during development which could support the development of personalized genome medicine for chromosome-based diseases. See full story in UConn Today
Dr. Carolyn Teschke has accepted the role of MCB department head and will serve in that position for the next five years. She is joined in the new administrative structure by Dr. Victoria Robinson, who will serve as Associate head for Graduate Research and Education, and Dr. Daniel Gage, who will serve as Associate head for Undergraduate Research and Education.
Dr. Carolyn Teschke, Professor and Department Head
Dr. Victoria Robinson, Associate Professor and Associate Department Head of Graduate Research and Education
Dr. Daniel Gage, Professor and Associate Head of Undergraduate Research and Education
Milligan-McClellan KC, Dundore-Arias JP,Klassen JL, Shade A, Kinkel LL, and Wolfe BE. Deciphering the Microbiome: Integrating Theory, New Technologies, and Inclusive Science. 2022 mSystemshttps://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00583-22
Green EA andKlassen JL.Trachymyrmex septentrionalisAnt Microbiome Assembly Is Unique to Individual Colonies and Castes. mSphere 7:00989-21https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00989
First and second year students, program directors and one cohort course instructor Charlie Giardina, Vikki Robinson, Joerg Graf, and Clare Melchiorre. The photo was taken in the new MCB PSM seminar and classroom space in TLS. E Mirkin credit.
The MCB Professional Science Master's Program held their Fall Orientation on Thursday, 9/1. The event went well with all students enthusiastic and energetic. Best wishes for a great year!!
Michel Giovanni Santiago-Martinez (Geo) has joined the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor. Santiago-Martinez is a microbiologist from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and The Pennsylvania State University. He is interested in the ecophysiology of archaea and anaerobic bacteria, and how energy status influences their ability to resist environmental stress conditions, such as exposure to oxygen and nutritional starvation. His research goal is to understand the function of anaerobic microorganisms in biogeochemical cycles and host-associated microbiomes. He is also interested in bringing up-to-date knowledge of archaea to the classrooms and outreach activities, as well as promoting more inclusive science through mentoring activities and service initiatives.
Nathan Alder contributed to a collaborative study led by a group from the UConn School of Nursing that was just published in Developmental Neurobiology. The title is "Associations of Mitochondrial Function, Stress, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Early Life: A Systematic Review"
Please join us for our first MCB Seminar of the semester!
Tuesday, August 30th, 2022
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
BPB 130
Dr. Lawrence David, Associate Professor, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Duke University
Host: Kat Milligan-McClellan
"Nutrient limitation and the gut microbiome"
Summary: How does diet shape gut microbial ecology across mammals?
Bio: Dr. Lawrence David is an associate professor in Duke University’s Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Interim Director of the Duke Microbiome Center. The David Lab studies relationships between diet, the gut microbiome and human health. The lab is also interested in engineering new tools at the interface of nutrition and microbiology, including building genomic approaches for tracking food intake and microfluidic techniques for high-throughput assay of microbial metabolism. Lawrence was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, and he received a Ph.D. in Computational & Systems Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University. Lawrence has been named one of the 10 Scientists under 40 years old to watch by ScienceNews and his work has been recognized with innovator and investigator awards from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Searle Scholars Program, and the Arnold & Mabel Beckman, Hartwell, Alfred P. Sloan, and Damon Runyon Foundations.
Assistant Professor Jelena Erceg (Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS & Institute for Systems Genomics, joint appointment also with the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn Health) has received a prestigious R35 Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This award will support research in the Erceg Lab on genome folding and regulation over the next 5 years.
The title of the funded project is “Genome Folding and Regulation in Diploid Multicellular Organisms”
MIRA provides support for the research in an investigator's laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding by providing investigators with greater stability and flexibility, thereby enhancing scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs. The program will also help distribute funding more widely among the nation's highly talented and promising investigators.