Area(s) of Specialization: Molecular and ecological basis of multicellular evolution.
My long-term research interest is to understand the molecular and ecological basis of major evolutionary state transitions. The primary question my laboratory investigates is how did multicellular organisms evolve?
Long term, research in my laboratory is aimed at understanding how organisms evolved regulatory pathways controlling cell growth, division, and differentiation so that new approaches to cancer treatment could be developed.
The Olson lab works at the intersection of genomics and bioinformatics, cell biology, evolutionary biology, mathematics and machine learning to address this complex problem.
Projects:
- Evolutionary genomics of the volvocine algae
- Genetic screens reveal novel insights into multicellular evolution
- Developing machine learning to understand “Big Data”.
First, my laboratory is leading a consortium to sequence the genomes and determine the developmental transcriptional profiles of several key volvocales. Second, my laboratory is using a systems biology approach toward determining which genes are important for all steps of multicellularity. My laboratory is particularly interested in understanding how and why individual unicells formed groups of cooperative cells, termed colonialism. To do this, we are focusing on Gonium as a model for colonial evolution.
Research: Biology – The evolution of multicellular eukaryotes—clues for detection and future cures
Subject areas:
- Genetics, Developmental and Cell Biology
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research Specialty:
- Evolutionary and Ecological Genomics
Expertise: Studies molecular and ecological basis of multicellular evolution
