DBC faculty

The DBC is a group faculty who share an interest in the processes that create the form and function of the biological world around us.

Kate Adamala email: kadamala@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-0570
Synthetic cells, Cell-free protein expression, Engineering genetic pathways

Frank Albert email: falbert@umn.edu | ph: 612-301-1243
Genomics, Statistical and Quantitative Genetics, Transcriptomics

Atsushi Asakura email: asakura@umn.edu  | ph: 612-624-7108
Muscle stem cell self-renewal and muscle regeneration using mouse genetics, and therapeutic approach for muscular dystrophy

Vivian Bardwell email: bardw001@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-7028 
Regulation of Gene Expression; Developmental Mechanisms; Human Genetics

Lihsia Chen email: chenx260@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-1299
Cell Adhesion, Cytoskeleton, Signal Transduction, cell migration, axon guidance, embryogenesis

Yue Chen email: yuechen@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-3340
Functional proteomics and protein posttranslational modification networks in diseases

Duncan Clarke email:clark140@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-3442
The programmatic goal of our research is to understand cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms that maintain genome stability.

Sean Conner email: sdconner@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-3707 
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis; mammalian intracellular membrane trafficking

Naomi Courtemanche email: ncourtem@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-3195
Cytoskeletal dynamics, Protein biochemistry, Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, Thermodynamic modeling

Huai Deng email: dengh@d.umn.edu | ph: 218-726-8459
Stress response signaling in development regulation; Chromatin targeting and remodeling by protein complexes

Aaron Engelhart email: enge0213@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-1950
Nucleic Acids

Pedro Fernandez-Funezemail: pfernand@d.umn.edu | ph: 218 726 6863
Using Drosophila genetic tools to understand neurodegeneration

Laura Gammill email: gammi001@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-6158
Early vertebrate neural development, molecular embryology

Melissa Klein Gardner email: klei0091@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-6906 
Chromatin mechanisms and dynamics; Quantitative fluorescence microscopy

Daniel Garry email: garry@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-2178 
Regenerative medicine, cardiogenesis, and stem-cell biology

Michael Georgieff email: georg001@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-2971 
The effect of fetal/neonatal iron nutrition on brain development and neurocognitive function

Susan Gibson email: gibso043@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-7408
Signal transduction pathways and gene expression in plants; genomics; plant development; metabolic pathways and regulation of carbon partitioning

William Gray email: grayx051@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-3042
Molecular mechanisms of the hormone auxin in the control of plant growth and development; ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis

David Greenstein email: green959@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-3955 
Developmental genetics, germline development, cell signaling

Jennifer Hall email: hall068@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-4114
Regulation of gene expression and signal transduction in the heart and vasculature.

Tom Hays email: haysx001@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-2949
Cytoskeleton and cell motility; Developmental mechanisms

Peter Igarashi email: igarashi@umn.edu | ph:612-625-3654
Kidney development, transcriptional regulation, microRNAs, primary cilia, polycystic kidney disease (PKD)

Harald Junge email: junge@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-6017
Retina, neurovascular interactions, wnt signaling

Yasuhiko Kawakami email: kawak005@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-9935 
Pattern formation, Morphogenesis, Signaling pathways, Congenital malformation

Nobuaki Kikyo email: kikyo001@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-0498 
Nuclear reprogramming in somatic cell nuclear cloning and stem cells

Nam Chul Kim email: kimn@d.umn.edu | ph: 218-726-6080
Age-related neuromuscular degeneration such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and multisystem proteinopathy

Deanna Koepp email: koepp015@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-4201
Cell cycle regulation, Ubiquitination and proteolysis, Genetic mechanisms of tumorigenesis

Naoko Koyano email: koyano@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-7687
Neuronal differentiation Transcriptional regulation in neurodevelopment

Michael Kyba email: kyba@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-5869
Tissue-specific stem cell self-renewal, cell therapy, muscular dystrophy

Lorene Lanier email: lanie002@umn.edu | ph: 612 626-2399 
Cytoskeletal mechanisms of growth cone motility, Neurodevelopment, Cell motility and live cell imaging

Jennifer Liang email: joliang@d.umn.edu | ph:218-726-7681
Uses zebrafish as a model system to uncover the mechanisms that control development of the central nervous system.

David Marks email: marks004@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-6737
Molecular genetic analysis of genes controlling epidermal cell fate in plants.

Suzanne McGaugh email: smcgaugh@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-6143
The how, why, and how fast organisms can adapt to new environments and whether evolution would proceed down the same path if repeated in an independent event.

Steve McLoon email: mcloons@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-9182
Development of the vertebrate nervous system, particularly mechanisms that regulate cell division, cell differentiation and the pattern of axonal connections

Yasushi Nakagawa email: nakagawa@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-4497
Development of the mouse forebrain

Hiroshi Nakato email: nakat003@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-1727
Function of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in pattern formation

Thomas Neufeld email: neufe003@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-5158
Genetic control of cell growth during development; signal transduction.

Min Ni email: nixxx008@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-3702
Light signal transduction and seed development

Michael O'Connor email: moconnor@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-2642
Molecular genetics of development, growth factor signaling and gene regulation.

Neil Olszewski email: neil@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-3129
Molecular mechanisms of hormone action; molecular genetic analysis of DNA viruses of plants

Hans G Othmer email: othme001umn.edu | ph: 612-624-8325
Applied math, mathematical biology, dynamical systems

Rita Perlingeiro email: perli032@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-4984
Mechanisms controlling lineage decision and reprogramming, and application to regenerative medicine

Mary Porter email: porte001@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-1901
Regulation of dynein-based motility

Juan Carlos Rivera-Mulia email: riveramj@umn.edu 

Matthew Slattery email: mslatter@umn.edu | ph: 218-726-7223

Emilie Snell-Rood email: emilies@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-7238
Using butterflies and beetles for inspiration, I ask questions such as 'why are some animals so smart?’

Ann Rougvie email: rougv001@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-4708
Temporal Control of Development; Gene Expression; Protein-DNA Interactions

Jeff Simon email: simon004@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-5097
Developmental Gene Expression; Protein-Protein and Protein-DNA Interactions.

Saeko Takada email: takad003@umn.edu | ph: 612-624-3613
DNA damage responses and cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms during development.

Meg Titus email: titus004@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-8498
Molecular genetic analysis of unconventional myosin function

Michael Travisano email travisan@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-6201
Ecological and evolutionary dynamics, evolutionary genetics, microbial ecology and evolution

Jop van Berlo email: jvanberl@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-1853
Role of cardiac progenitor cells in vivo during cardiac development

Dan Voytas email: voytas@umn.edu | ph: 612-626-4509
Plant genome engineering through homologous recombination; Retrotransposable elements and genome organization

Yi-Mei (Amy) Yang email: ymyang@d.umn.edu | ph: 218-726-7818
Research Statement: neurophysiology, synaptic transmission, developmental plasticity

David Zarkower email: zarko001@umn.edu | ph: 612-625-9450
Genetic and molecular control of sexual development.