Fabrizio Ghiselli, PhD, University of Bologna, Italy
Dr Fabrizio Ghiselli is Associate Professor of Zoology at the University of Bologna. He studies evolution at the molecular and genomic level using a comparative approach, and his main interests are genome evolution (especially in the context of conflict and cooperation) and biodiversity genomics. Dr Ghiselli’s research topics include: mitochondrial inheritance, heteroplasmy and mitonuclear coevolution; genomic conflicts, selfish genetic elements and meiotic drive; sex determination. In his works Dr Ghiselli mostly focuses on genome architecture and organization, gene content (expansion and contraction of gene families, molecular evolution of coding sequences), structure and variability of tRNAs and rRNAs, characterization of transposable elements and repeats. Website.
Yafei Mao, PhD, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Dr Yafei Mao is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received a PhD in Evolutionary Genomics from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington. He has broad interests in evolutionary medicine, primate evolution, and structural variation. He previously combined experimental and computational approaches to investigate genome architectures of structural variation and gene tree discordance in corals and primates. His Lab now utilizes cutting-edge experimental and computational technologies to understand the organization and dynamic regulation of the primate genome through development, human diseases, and evolution. Website.
Ferdinand Marlétaz, PhD, University College London, UK
Dr Ferdinand Marlétaz’ primary research question focuses on the relationship between the diversity of genome organization, the regulation of developmental gene expression and the evolution of animal body plans, as well as the use of genomes to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between animals. After his PhD in Marseille, a postdoc at the University of Oxford and a stay in Okinawa, Japan, Dr Marlétaz now holds a Royal Society research fellowship at University College London. Website.
Maria V. Sharakhova, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, USA
Dr Maria Sharakhova is an Associate Professor at Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, VA, USA. She earned her PhD in Novosibirsk, Russia, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, USA. She then worked as a research scientist and Assistant Professor at Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, VA, USA. Her current research focuses on understanding the genome organization of mosquitoes with the goal to better understand the evolutionary changes that shape mosquitoes' ability to adapt to natural environments and transmit pathogens. Topics include developing new and improving existing genomic tools and resources for mosquitoes, understanding the role of chromosomal rearrangements in mosquito evolution, and reconstructing phylogenomic relationships among mosquito species. Website.
Levi Yant, Dr rer nat, University of Nottingham, UK & Charles University, Czech Republic
Dr Levi Yant is a Professor of Evolutionary Genomics with joint appointments at the University of Nottingham, UK, and Charles University, Czech Republic. His group’s work focusses largely on the evolution of polyploids: both adaptive and maladaptive consequences of whole-genome duplication, as well as generally adaptation to extreme environments. Following his PhD in Developmental Genomics at the Max Planck Institute, Germany, Dr Yant trained in Evolutionary Genomics at Harvard University, USA, eventually beginning his lab there. He next was a group leader at the John Innes Centre, UK, and then Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK. Website.
