Hello, welcome!
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I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Chicago and a trainee in the laboratory of Manyuan Long.
I develop computational methods to study the evolution of new (i.e. evolutionarily young) genes and to identify candidates for functional investigation. I am broadly interested in studying gene origination through computational, functional, and theoretical investigations.
My thesis research combines computational genomics and functional experiments in Drosophila species to explore a fundamental and important topic in evolutionary biology: how does a gene originate and evolve? I am currently investigating how recently evolved genes, especially those that have arisen de novo, utilize existing translational machinery to translate novel proteins and the imperfection of genic evolution. I also study the effects of gene age on various aspects of genomic evolution and the roles new genes have in phenotypic evolution in flowering plants (Oryza, Arabidopsis) and animals (Drosophila).