.: Genetics Faculty :.

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Genetics Program Faculty

The following is an introduction to the faculty of the Genetics program at The University of Arizona. You can find information about general areas of genetic research, and the departments in which our faculty members hold joint appointments on the Research page.

Bruce Walsh co-authored this highly-acclaimed book on quantitative inheritance with Mike Lynch of the University of Oregon. They are now working on the second volume.

Congratulations to Atlantis Russ (Hawaii) and Jason Pugh (Arizona), who will be joining the Genetics GIDP as doctoral students in fall 2008. Both were also awarded a prestigious Science Foundation Arizona Fellowship, which will support the first two years of their education.

(Re)Newed Course fall 2008: GENE 533, Human Genetics. A team taught, 3 unit course covering basic genetic theory and techniques, as applied to the human species, as well as methods of analysis of genetic and environmental variation among individuals and populations.

Genetics Faculty in the News: Dr. Fernando Martinez, Dr. Joyce Schroeder, & Dr. Cari Soderlund.

Chair and Faculty List

Following is a list of the Chair and Faculty in the Genetics Program with links to their own homepages.

Name

Phone/Lab/Fax

Office

Home Page

Chair of Genetics

Murray Brilliant Professor Pediatrics Chair of Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Studies	626-7053/4344/7407	CRC4346	Murray's Home Page
Research Interest: Genetic and molecular analyses of mouse and human mutations affecting pigmentation and development.

Faculty List

C. William Birky, Jr Professor Ecology & Evolutionary Biology	626-6513/5108/621-5097	BSW 218	Bill's Home Page
Research Interest: Mechanisms of molecular evolution and transmission genetics, especially of organelles and asexual organisms.

Vicki L. Chandler Professor Molecular & Cellular Biology/ Plant Sciences	626-8725/621-8964	Marley 541c	Vicki's Home Page
Research Interest: Investigation of the regulation of gene expression. The anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in maize is the focus of work, as it provides an exceptionally tractable system for genetic, biochemical and molecular approaches. A major emphasis is to investigate how the regulatory genes of this pathway are controlled.

Qin Chen Assistant Professor Pharm/Tox	626-9126/9182/2466	Pharm 130m	Qin's Home Page
Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms of oxidant toxicity; tumor-suppressor genes and cell-cycle checkpoints; cellular senescence and apoptosis; aging-associated cancers and heart diseases.

Melanie Culver
Assistant Professor
Wildlife and Fisheries Science

626-3775/1636/621-8801

Bio. Sciences East 325

Melanie's Home Page

Research Interest:
Conservation Genetics, Molecular Systematics, and Molecular Ecology of wildlife and fish species.

Chris Cunniff Professor Pediatrics	626-5175/none/3636	AHSC 3335	Chris's Home Page
Research Interest: Clinical delineation of multiple malformation syndromes, especially those affecting sexual differentiation and development.

Carol Dieckmann Professor Molecular & Cellular Biology/ Biochemistry	621-3569/1418/3709	LSS 454	Carol's Home Page
Research Interest: Organelle biogenesis.

Robert Erickson Hosclaw Professor Pediatrics	656-5483/2314/3636	AHSC 4341	Bob's Home Page
Research Interest: Mammalian developmental and molecular genetics and medical genetics.

Jennifer Hall Associate Professor Molecular & Cellular Biology/Biochemistry	621-7525/7522/3709	LSS 206	Jenny's Home Page
Research Interest: Mechanism of DNA replication, mutagenesis, repair and recombination in mammalian cells and animal viruses.

Research Interest:
Regulation of the gene for galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase,the enzyme deficient in galactosemia; emphasis on tissue specificity, using such techniques as DNase 1 protection assays, reporter gene analysis,and Southwestern blotting.

John Little Professor Biochemistry	621-5629/5081/2709	Life Sciences South 548A	John's Home Page
Research Interest: Tumorigenesis: the role of altered gene expression in tumor development, with particular emphasis on the tumor-suppressor gene, p53; mechanisms of chemoprevention.

John Meaney Associate Research Professor Pediatrics	626-1994/none/8056	Comstock Bldg.
Research Interest: Growth and development of children with birth defects and evaluation of genetic health care services.

David Mount Professor Ecology & Evolutionary Biology	621-3151/4814/3709	LSS 333A	David's Home Page
Research Interest: Genetic regulation of the radiation resistance and genetic recombination in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana ; population and conservation genetics of rare plant species; bioinformatics and genome analysis.

Marc Orbach Associate Professor Plant Pathology	621-3764/9891/9190	Marley 341B	Marc's Home Page
Research Interest: Molecular genetics of fungal cultivar-specificity genes in Magnaporthe grisea, the rice blast pathogen. Retrotransposons as sources of genetic instability in fungi.

Roy Parker Associate Professor Molecular & Cellular Biology	621-9347/3487/3709	Life Sciences South 533A	Roy's Home Page
Research Interest: mRNA decay in yeast, emphasizing molecular genetics to understand both the mechanisms and regulation of mRNA turnover.

Sandy Pierson Associate Professor Plant Pathology	621-9419/3792/9290	Marley 341D	Sandy's Home Page
Research Interest: Molecular basis of microbial gene expression in the rhizosphere; mechanisms involved in the biological control of soil-borne plant pathogens.

Linda Restifo Associate Professor Neurobiology Neurology	621-9821/8388/8282	Gould-Simp 423	Linda's Home Page
Research Interest: Genetics of nervous system and muscle development in Drosophila; steroid hormone action.

Carol Soderlund Research Professor Bio5 Institute, Plant Sciences and Computer Science	626-9600/none/none	Marley 541D	Cari's Home Page
Research Interest: Software for physical mapping, comparative genomics and host-pathogen interactions.

Hans VanEtten Department Head & Professor Plant Pathology	621-9355/9390/9290	Marley 341A	Hans' Home Page
Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms of plant pathogenesis, dispensable chromosomes, and synthesis of plant antibiotics.

Donata Vercelli Professor, Cell Biology/Anatomy Assistant Director, Arizona Respiratory Center (Functional Genomics)	626-6387/8442/6623	AHSC 2349	Donata's Home Page
Research Interest: Functional genomics studies - the impact of genetic variation on the pathogenesis of complex lung diseases.

Bruce Walsh Associate Professor Ecology & Evolutionary Biology	621-1915/none/9190	LSS 327A	Bruce's Home Page
Research Interest: Population and quantitative genetics; genome evolution; macroevolution.

Ramin Yadegari Assistant Professor Plant Sciences	621-1616	Marley 441d	Ramin's Home Page
Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms of early reproductive development in flowering plants.

Affiliated Faculty

All faculty of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology are considered Affiliate Members of the Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. Genetics students may perform Laboratory Research Rotations under faculty with suitable research interests, who may also serve as major or minor advisors.