GENETICS and G3 are pleased to announce three new editors: Yasuhiko Kawakami, Amy Ralston, and Jordan Ward.

GENETICS

Yasuhiko Kawakami

University of Minnesota

Headshot of Yasuhiko Kawakami

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms that regulate specification, proliferation and patterning, leading to morphogenesis of functional tissues and organs. I use mice and zebrafish to study mechanisms of development of the limb and trunk. Over the last 20 years, I have made contributions to understanding how signaling molecules, such as fibroblast growth factors, hedgehog, bone morphogenetic proteins and WNTs regulate cell specification, patterning, growth and morphogenesis of the limb. I have also been investigating how cells interpret these extracellular signals by means of transcriptional regulatory networks. We are currently studying functions of several developmental regulators, such as Isl1, Plzf, the Sall gene family, the Irx gene family, and the Gli gene family.

Amy Ralston

Michigan State University

Headshot of Amy Ralston

Amy Ralston received her B.A. in Biochemistry from Oberlin College, and then pursued her PhD studies in the developmental genetics of Drosophila at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Ralston pursued her postdoctoral studies with Dr. Janet Rossant in Toronto. Dr. Ralston’s team at Michigan State University aims to uncover the gene regulatory mechanisms defining cell state changes in mammalian embryos and stem cell lines. Dr. Ralston received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2016), served as Instructor of the Mouse Development, Stem Cells and Cancer course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (2015-2018), and is currently an endowed Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University.

 

G3

Jordan Ward

UC Santa Cruz

Headshot of Jordan Ward

Hailing from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, Jordan Ward is an Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UC Santa Cruz. He obtained his BS (Honours) and MS from the University of Alberta before undertaking a PhD at Cancer Research UK, studying DNA repair in C. elegans. During his postdoc at UCSF, he focused on transcription factors coordinate gene regulatory networks to promote development. Since starting his own group at UC Santa Cruz, his lab has focused on how transcription factors control nematode molting and spermatogenesis. His lab is interested in these processes for both a fundamental understanding of development, and for identifying new ways to combat parasitic nematodes. His group is also highly active in developing CRISPR-based genome editing and new tools to conditionally regulate proteins. He recently was awarded an NSF CAREER award to study spermatogenesis, while supporting the education of junior transfer students at UC Santa Cruz.

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