Welcome to GMB
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The Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology (GMB) is an interdepartmental PhD program whose mission is (1) to train students from diverse backgrounds to earn a PhD in the fields of genetics, genomics, and molecular biology by guiding them through the acquisition of essential elements of the PhD, including responsible achievement of significant original research; and (2) to provide opportunities for learning about the breadth of careers in research and research-related fields and acquiring the skills and experiences that will facilitate the transition into such careers.
We train outstanding students to be creative, sophisticated research scientists. Our students have excellent publication records and are successful in obtaining grants and winning regional and national awards. NIGMS highlighted our program for its “notable record of diversity recruitment and retention”.
The research interests of the faculty span a broad range of topics, from model organisms genetics to clinical and translational research; quantitative genetics and complex traits to virology and plant genetics.
RECENT NEWS
Rachel Dumez-Kornegay publishes paper in PLOS Genetics
Rachel Dumez-Kornegay & Rob Dowen: Probiotics in kombucha found to mimic fasting and reduce fat stores in C. elegans model
“These findings are significant as they are consistent with purported human health benefits of kombucha tea, which include protection against metabolic diseases, improved liver function, and reduced fat accumulation.” — Rob Dowen, PhD
Read more about the study in Medical News Today and PLOS Genetics
UNC BCB and GMB Graduate Students Baran, Flores, McAfee, and Szymanski Volunteer as UNC Ambassadors in the Shadow a Scientist program
On November 29, UNC graduate students Kerstin Baran (Genetics and Molecular Biology in the Kathleen Caron lab), JP Flores (Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in the Doug Phanstiel Lab), Jessica McAfee (Genetics and Molecular Biology in the Hyejung Won lab), and Rachel Szymanski (Genetics and Molecular Biology in the Frank Conlon lab) volunteered their time and expertise for a Shadow a Scientist outreach event held on the UNC Chapel Hill campus. This event included visitors from the Roxboro Community School.
The Shadow A Scientist (SAS) Program brings high school students to UNC’s campus for a day to shadow two scientists in their respective labs. We split high school students into small groups of 2-4 and pair them with a scientist at UNC. In addition to the shadow sessions, high school students chat in small groups with scientists during lunch. In total, this requires ~40 ambassador volunteers each event day.
For more information on the Shadow a Scientist Program: https://shadowascientist.web.unc.edu/
GMB Graduate Student Marielle Bond Wins People’s Choice Award at Three Minute Thesis Competition
Congratulations to Genetics and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Marielle Bond in the labs of Doug Phanstiel (Cell Biology and Physiology) and Hyejung Won (Genetics), for receiving the “People’s Choice Award” at the 2023 Three Minute Thesis Competition!
The Graduate School’s annual Three Minute Thesis competition final, an initiative of Professional Development, helps graduate students distill their research topics in only three minutes for a non-specialist audience in order to present their groundbreaking research in an easy-to-understand way.
Graduate students from many areas of campus, including in science and in the humanities, presented their research for a panel of judges to determine the top 10 participants who advanced to the final competition.
This year’s juried competition is one of nearly 900 similar competitions around the world and in 85 countries. The Three Minute Thesis is an initiative founded by the University of Queensland in Australia.
Read full story here.
Congratulations to GMB Graduate Student Marielle Bond who is a Finalist in the 2023 UNC Three Minute Thesis Competition
Marielle Bond, a doctoral student in Genetics and Molecular Biology (Doug Phanstiel and Hyejung Won labs), is a finalist in the UNC Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition. This achievement reflects her ability to present her research in an accessible and compelling way.
The final competition will be this Wednesday, October 25 in the UNC Freedom Forum Conference Center.
Read more information about the competition here.
Marielle Bond publishes paper in Genome Research
Marielle Bond (Doug Phanstiel and Hyejung Won labs) published an article titled “Chromatin loop dynamics during cellular differentiation are associated with changes to both anchor and internal regulatory features” in Genome Research (doi:10.1101/gr.277397.122).
M.L. Bond, E.S. Davis, I.Y. Quiroga, A. Dey, M. Kiran, M.I. Love, H. Won, and D.H. Phanstiel (2023). Chromatin loop dynamics during cellular differentiation are associated with changes to both anchor and internal regulatory features. Genome Research 33 (8): 1258–68. doi:10.1101/gr.277397.122
Ana Berglind (Erin Heinzen Lab) is the recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2023 Graduate Diversity Enrichment Program (GDEP) Award
Ana Berglind, a graduate student in Erin Heinzen’s Lab, is the recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2023 Graduate Diversity Enrichment Program (GDEP) award. Selected from a pool of exceptionally talented applicants, Ana will receive financial support, mentorship opportunities, and access to invaluable resources throughout his academic journey via this award.
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