Date: Tuesday, 22 November 2016, 10 am (Manila Time)
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important evolutionary process that allows the spread of innovations between distantly related organisms. In this webinar, I will present recent findings on the process, driving factors and impacts of HGT in light of recent developments in next-generation sequencing approaches. I will discuss examples of HGT within species, between species and between microbial communities, and how these gene exchange networks drive the genetic and phenotypic diversity of microbes in nature and clinical settings.
Cheryl Andam, PhD
Assistant Professor,
University of New Hampshire, USA
https://colsa.unh.edu/faculty/andam
About the Speaker
I seek to understand the evolutionary processes and ecological factors that drive the diversification and adaptation of microorganisms in various ecosystems, transcending different time scales that range from disease outbreaks to the origins of species. Using an inter-disciplinary approach combining next-generation sequencing (genomics), population genetics, phylogenetics and lab-based assays, I aim to identify the underlying mechanisms that govern population-level structure and dynamics of microbes in response to environmental perturbations and selective pressures. I am particularly interested in the process, mechanisms and impacts of horizontal gene transfer on the ecology, evolution and genome structure of bacteria and archaea. Cheryl obtained her BS degree from the Univ of the Philippines Los Banos, her PhD from the Univ of Connecticut, and had postdoctoral stints at Cornell Univ and Harvard Univ.
TO JOIN THIS WEBINAR: Send an email to: rsbacsa@up.edu.ph and ask for the weblink.
