Sergey Nuzhdin
My main motivation is to be psyched about science and to have fun doing research. I like to brainstorm with people in the lab and our collaborators for new topics, ideas, systems, and approaches. It might be about fly behavior, planaria population genetics, mustard adaptation, legume agriculture, or even macroalgae and shellfish aquaculture; as long as it is conceptual, innovative, and fun. Understanding how metabolic reactions, cell signaling, and developmental pathways translate an organism’s genome into its phenotype is a grand challenge in biology. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) statistically connect genotypes to phenotypes, whereas a molecular biology approach directly ties gene function to phenotype through gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Using natural variation in allele-specific expression, GWAS and GRN approaches can be merged into a single framework via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-GRN). This approach leverages the myriad of polymorphisms in natural populations to elucidate and quantitate the molecular pathways that underlie phenotypic variation. This framework can be used to evaluate GRN consistency across genotypes, environments or sexes, to identify the differences in GRNs between species, and to annotate GRNs de novo in non-model organisms.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Gary Molano
Gary Molano is a postdoc working on the giant kelp domestication project. Gary has investigated the population genetics of several Southern California kelp populations, while also characterizing the genetic variation of the giant kelp germplasm currently used in the domestication project. Gary has also worked on the giant kelp genome nuclear and organelle genome assemblies. Gary’s previous work in plants involves using sequencing data to characterize a panel of wild cicer, specifically focusing on the variation present in organelles.
Publications:
Molano, G., Diesel, J., Montecinos, G. J., Alberto, F. & Nuzhdin, S. V. (2022). Sporophyte Stage Genes Exhibit Stronger Selection Than Gametophyte Stage Genes in Haplodiplontic Giant Kelp. Front. Mar. Sci. 8:774076. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.774076
Gonzalez, S. T., Alberto, F., & Molano, G. (2023). Whole-genome sequencing distinguishes the two most common giant kelp ecomorphs. Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 77(6), 1354–1369. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpad045
Graduate Students
Karina Arzuyan
Karina is a Ph.D. student in the MCB program. She received her B.S. in Marine Biology from UCSD/SIO and her M.S. in Ecology at San Diego State University while studying anthropogenic impacts on seaweed communities. During her Fulbright in Armenia, she studied genomic biodiversity within the phytoplankton communities of freshwater systems. For her research, she is interested in linking blue economy initiatives with the world of algae through the use of genomics.
Jordan Chancellor
Jordan Chancellor is a Ph.D. student in the Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography program co-advised by Dr. Nuzhdin and Dr. Gracey. She received her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. Her research interests focus on sustainability and global food security, specifically the role that bivalves can play in mitigating the use of terrestrial protein sources. She is interested in understanding the quantitative traits underlying disease resistance in bivalves that can be applied to large-scale selective breeding.
Inessa Chandra
Inessa Chandra is a Ph.D. candidate in the Marine and Environmental Biology program. She studies the temporal dynamics of giant kelp physiology, primarily using transcriptomics and in the context of the circadian clock and senescence. She hopes her work will contribute to advances in aquaculture (breeding “stay-green” traits), restoration (understanding local adaptations), and macroalgal carbon accounting (intrinsic controls for balance and timing of carbon flux).
Kelly DeWeese
Kelly DeWeese is a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular and Computational Biology and works on the Kelp Project. She uses genomics and transcriptomics data from giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) to investigate genetic variation that is of potential significance to kelp aquaculture.
José Diesel
José is a Ph.D. candidate whose passion lies in the world of giant kelp. His work revolves around studying the genetics of giant kelp to improve farming practices and enhance its sustainability. Through bioinformatics tools, José has assembled the genome of giant kelp, allowing him to explore its evolution and population genetics. By investigating the distribution and impact of mutations, he aims to gain insights into the resilience and adaptability of this species. José’s ultimate goal is to leverage this knowledge to optimize kelp farming and contribute to the preservation of our marine ecosystems.
Luke Genutis
Luke is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular and Computational Biology program, studying genomic analysis using next generation sequencing data and computational tools. He has been contributing to projects in Oil Palm, and in Drosophila hybrid model systems.
Maddelyn Harden
Madelyn is a Ph.D. candidate researching the genetic diversity, variation, and evolution of California macroalgae. With her work she hopes to apply population and evolutionary genetics to answer a suite of marine conservation biology questions as well as to inform policy initiatives governing coastal ecosystems.
Rachel Hua
Rachel Hua is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular and Computational Biology program. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is currently involved with the Mussel Project, specifically focusing on analyzing SNPs.
Maxim Kovalev
Maxim Kovalev is a Ph.D. student in the Physical Biology program. He received his M.S. in Bioinformatics from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russia. His main interest lies in the development and application of computational methods in different fields of biology, namely molecular biology and genetics.
Jaycee Lanza
Jaycee is a Ph.D student in the Marine and Environmental Biology program. She earned her B.S in Marine Biology from UCLA, and her M.S. in marine science from Moss Landing Marine Labs studying reproductive competition in kelp species. She is interested in further investigating reproduction in kelp using molecular techniques.
Bernadeth Tolentino
Brandon Vong
Brandon is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular and Computational Biology program at USC. He earned his B.S. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology with a Minor in Biomedical Research from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is involved in the kelp team and is interested in studying kelp gene function and development. His research is focused on developing efficient and cost effective methods for kelp restoration and selective breeding.
Website by Marcus Lin
Contact Us
USC Laboratory (MBIO)
Ray R. Irani Hall Room 316
1050 Childs Way
Los Angeles CA 90089
USC Aquaculture Facility (AltaSea)
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles
2451 Signal Street Berth 59
San Pedro, CA 90731