RIG Seminar: Evolutionary Genetics Research Interest Group

The Evolutionary Genetics RIG is hosting seminar speaker Pengyao Jiang next Thursday April 11. Dr. Jiang just started her lab at Arizona State University and studies mutation rate evolution using Drosophila and yeast.

Graduate students can sign up here to meet with Pengyao Jiang at 4 p.m. on April 11 in Stephens Room.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_5-iHgJi8ei3uFBg1d5k1md8yX-PTzIJy7hEg7RwKa0/edit?usp=sharing

My general research interests lie in investigating the evolutionary mechanisms at the molecular level, starting from the origins of genetic variation to the transformation of these effects into phenotypic variation and ultimately, fitness. To accomplish this, my lab primarily employs model organisms of budding yeast and fruit flies to study these evolutionary processes. Utilizing model organism systems can not only address complicated genetic questions, but also allows us to move beyond qualitative comparisons and delve into quantitative modeling, enabling a deeper understanding of the specific mechanisms that drive evolutionary processes. A major research focus in my lab is to uncover the genetic basis of the variability of mutation processes in natural populations. My lab aims to achieve this by developing high-throughput genomic methods and employing bioinformatic analyses with sequencing data. In addition, we will be working on developing a quantitative model that integrates mutational processes and the genotype-to-phenotype map to gain insights into phenotypic evolution.