andrewmichaelhamilton@gmail.com

Currently a graduate student in Karen Zito’s Laboratory at the UCDMC Center for Neuroscience.

ankaczmarczyk@ucdavis.edu

During my time in the Kopp lab I investigated whether genetic variation in germline stem cell maintenance may contribute to the trade-off between early- and late-life reproduction in Drosophila females. I am currently a graduate student in Craig Miller’s lab at UC Berkeley- I am studying the genetic and developmental basis of head skeletal evolution in threespine stickleback fish. My experimental framework includes genetics, developmental biology, and genomic analysis.

gcsng@ucdavis.edu

Currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Research Center for Biodiversity at Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. I am interested in various aspects of evolutionary genetics, particularly the studies on genetics changes underlying protein evolution, phenotypic evolution, and speciation. The specific aim in my Ph.D. research is to use closely related species of Drosophila as a model to understand the genetic basis of morphological differentiation and speciation. To understand the evolution of sexually dimorphic traits, my research has focused on quantitative and population genetics, behavioral genetics, phylogenetics, and developmental evolution.

hcosta@stanford.edu

I am currently a first year graduate student in the Genetics Department at Stanford Medical School. As an undergraduate I studied sex-comb development and rotation in D. melanogaster in the Kopp lab. I am currently interested in using genomics and systems level approaches to study organismal development and disease.

joel.atallah@gmail.com

http://www.joelatallah.com

I’m a postdoc in the Kopp lab, analyzing sex comb development and evolution. It’s exciting to be working on a sexually dimorphic trait that has fascinated and intrigued many generations of fruit fly researchers. The dazzling diversity of sex combs in nature is only matched by the complexity and beauty of how they form during metamorphosis. One of the aspects of this process that I’ve analyzed is comb rotation, a series of remarkable cellular events in the developing leg, including oriented cell intercalation, which cause the sex comb in some species to change its orientation by up to 90°. I’m seeking to determine the role of leg patterning genes and cell adhesion molecules in the rotation, and how the process compares to cell intercalation in other systems. I’m also applying a genomics approach, comparing the transcriptional profiles of tissue from the region of the comb in Drosophila males and the homologous tissue on female legs, in an effort to identify more candidate genes responsible for sex comb formation in multiple species. This research has the potential to enhance our understanding of the molecular and cellular changes that lead to interspecific diversity at the phenotypic level, using an integrative approach that combines methods from evolutionary, cell and developmental biology.

kat@shcc.org

Currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Stadler Laboratory at the Shriners Research Center, Portland Oregon. During my time in the Kopp Lab, my research focused on evolution and development of sex combs in closely related species of Drosophila. My first project elucidated the morphogenetic mechanisms underlying sex combs with diverse morphology. In the second project, I investigated the roles of the HOX gene sex combs reduced and the sex-determination gene doublesex during development and evolution of sex combs. Currently, I am studying roles of HOX genes in mouse limb development.

mamagsombol@ucdavis.edu

I am a 3rd year pharmaceutical chemistry and Japanese double major. Since starting in late 2009, I have worked closely with Olga and Sarah and my research includes gene mapping and enhancer bashing. My goal is to become a cosmetic chemist. Although it is not in the scope of my majors, my study of genetics will prove valuable in my understanding of the advancement of skin care.

gmvurens@ucdavis.edu

I am a fourth year Genetics major, assisting Joel Atallah in his research. I help screen gene candidates for sex comb developments via temperature controlled RNAi, and perform various tasks for a multitude of projects. (Attempts to culture rare species of flies, collecting flies for mutagenesis, etc.) I have worked in Kopp lab since spring 2010, and have enjoyed the educational experience.

ninaly@stanford.edu

I am currently a graduate student in Martha Cyert’s Lab at Stanford where we study the role of the calcium-sensitive phosphatase, calcineurin, when activated in yeast under stress. As an undergraduate in the Kopp Lab, I briefly examined the bacterial flora within the Drosophila gut and wanted to answer whether this bacterial community changed with the host’s diet.

o.podlaha@gmail.com

I am broadly interested in the molecular basis of adaptation and organismal evolution. In particular, what are the DNA level changes that are responsible for the vast morphological and physiological diversity? I received Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2007) where I worked with Dr. Jianzhi Zhang on the molecular evolution of reproductive proteins. Subsequently, I joined the lab of Dr. Antonia Monteiro as a postdoc at Yale University (2007-2009) to work with the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Here, I investigated the developmental basis of butterfly eyespots, which are a conspicuous wing color pattern that is utilized both in the predator evasion as well as mate choice. In the Kopp laboratory, I am conducting a genetic analysis of the sexually dimorphic abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila (montium subgroup). Previous study shows that sexually dimorphic pigmentation has evolved in Drosophila multiple times and that at least in the ananassae subgroup the maintenance of this trait involves several genes previously unknown from the pigmentation pathway. I am using next generation sequencing to identify QTLs involved in pigmentation, reconstruct as much of the pathway as possible, and follow how this pathway evolves across phylogeny. This work will shed light not only on the genes in the pigmentation pathway, but also on the general mechanisms of gene network evolution.

rncurtis@ucdavis.edu

I recently received my B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC-Davis and my research interests include developmental genetics.

rwsebhatu@ucdavis.edu

I have been working as a tech in Kopp lab since September 2011. I am assisting Sarah with her research to identify the genes and types of changes involved in the gain or loss of sexually dimorphic pigmentation in related groups of Drosophila. The majority of my work involves single-fly DNA extractions and other molecular work. I majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and I plan to continue my education in the medical field.

rbickel2@unl.edu

Currently a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. While in the Kopp lab, I was investigating intraspecific variation at the bric-a-brac (bab) locus in Drosophila melanogaster. This locus is responsible for a large amount of pigmentation variation. Using population genetics and association mapping methods we identified molecular changes responsible for transcription and pigmentation differences. At Nebraska, I am currently continuing this work as well as other research in flies and aphids.

setong@northwestern.edu

I am a fourth year undergraduate genetics major assisting Joel Atallah in his research. My primary duties include antibody staining, Drosophilia husbandry, and sample preparation. I have been a part of the Kopp Lab since November of 2009. Like Joel, I am intersted in the developmental genetics of sexual dimporhism in Drosophilia. As this is my last year here at Davis I have goals of either entering into work for private industry or enrolling into graduate school.

taggrawal@ucdavis.edu

I am fourth year majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I began working in the Kopp lab in Winter 2007, and currently, I am studying the genetic basis of abdominal pigmentation variation in Drosophila ananassae. Pigmentation is an essential trait that impacts an individual’s fitness. Elucidating the genetic changes responsible for pigmentation variation in Drosophila ananassae will contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms accounting for morphological evolution in this species. After graduation, I plan to work for Teach for America, and after gaining teaching experience, I will apply for graduate school.

tdseher@ucdavis.edu

I do comparative genomics for the lab. I make de novo genome and transcriptome assemblies from high throughput sequencing data. Currently I am investigating genes that affect sex comb teeth number in the D. bipectinata species complex, and genes that influence female abdominal pigmentation in D. serrata. Recently I’ve been designing SNP assays and doing QTL analyses to narrow down the genomic region for the causative loci of said inquiries. On the side, I am doing work on allele-specific expression in D. melanogaster, and studying Wolbachia phylogenomics. I enjoy writing computer programs to help my colleagues, and I like learning how to use new technologies. My dream is to create an army of transgenic organisms that possess useless traits, like a rabbit with horns (jackalope), and study the population genetics of the trait when released into the wild.