David Alvarez-Ponce

Associate Professor
Formal headshot of David Alvarez-Ponce

Summary

During evolution, DNA sequences accumulate mutations, resulting in genetic diversity. Mutations are subject to the filtering of natural selection, and standing patterns and levels of DNA variability contain invaluable information about the evolutionary history of genes, genomes and organisms. Research in the lab broadly focuses on understanding why different genes are subject to different evolutionary forces (e.g. purifying and positive selection). With this aim, we make extensive use of large-scale comparative genomics and bioinformatics analyses.

Genes and proteins rarely work in isolation; instead, they work as parts of w88 casino games login of interacting molecules, such as metabolic w88 casino games login, signal transduction w88 casino games login, protein-protein interaction w88 casino games login, etc. We are interested in how these w88 casino games login have generated and grown during evolution, and in how the position of genes within such w88 casino games login affect their evolution.

Other research areas in the lab include the origin of Eukaryotes (which are thought to have arisen from a fusion event involving an archaebacterium and a eubacterium), organism's genomic adaptation to different temperatures, and the development of bioinformatics software.

Education

  • Ph.D. Genetics, w88 casino games login Barcelona, 2010
  • M.S. Genetics, w88 casino games login Barcelona, 2007
  • B.S. Computer Science, Open w88 casino games login Catalonia, 2015
  • B.S. Biology, w88 casino games login Barcelona, 2005

Biography

  • Associate Professor, w88 casino games login Nevada, Reno, 2020-present
  • Assistant Professor, w88 casino games login Nevada, Reno, 2014-2020
  • Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral fellow, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain, 2012-2014
  • Postdoctoral fellow, Trinity College Dublin, 2012
  • Postdoctoral researcher, National w88 casino games login Ireland Maynooth, 2010-2012

Awards

Mousel-Feltner Award for Excellence in Research