Faculty Candidate Seminar: Damian Dudka, University of Pennsylvania
Faculty Candidate Seminar: Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology & Genetics
February 19, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Red Seminar Room, Donnelly CCBR, 160 College Street
Speaker: Damian Dudka, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Pennsylvania
Host: Timothy Hughes
Unraveling the Mysteries of Chromosome Segregation Through the Lens of Rapid Evolution
Chromosome segregation is a fundamental process. Despite its conserved nature, computational analyses indicate that the chromosome segregation machinery evolves rapidly. However, the impact of this rapid evolution remains unknown as we lack evolution-guided experimental systems. The challenge in developing them lies in integrating computational molecular evolution analyses with evolution-guided biological models to distinguish recent evolutionary effects from conserved functions. I will establish such systems to address a long-standing mystery: How do chromosomes segregate faithfully amid the rapid evolution of the chromosome segregation machinery? Evolution-guided experimental approaches will deepen our understanding of fundamental processes like chromosome segregation and uncover vulnerabilities compromising their fidelity.