LAB NEWS
2020
Amanda Kowalczyk is awarded the Most Well-Rounded Student of the year!
In an honor extended by the University of Pittsburgh’s Biomedical Graduate Student Association, Amanda was named as this year’s most well-rounded student. In Amanda’s acceptance speech, she asks us all to do 1 hour of scientific outreach a month.
Nov 6, 2020
Jaret Lieberth joins as Lab Technician
Jaret joins us from the University of Mississippi where he worked on zebrafish development among other projects. We’re excited to welcome him to the lab and to Salt Lake City!
Aug 4, 2020
Amanda Kowalczyk receives the CEBAM Catalyst Award
Amanda Kowalczyk was awarded a competitive Catalyst Award from the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine (CEBaM). She will use the award to advance her studies in the genetic underpinnings of convergently evolved long lifespan as well as hairlessness in mammals. Amanda is currently in her fifth year of the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh.
Jul 9, 2020
Sarah Lucas joins the lab as Human Genetics PhD student
We welcome Sarah as our first Human Genetic PhD student. Sarah successfully completed her Capstone Exam in Spring and started working full time in the lab this summer. This year she plans to complete her project on gene expression in diving mammals and launch her studies of ocular regulatory evolution in subterranean mammals.
May 5, 2020
Post-doctoral Positions in Evolutionary Genomics
The Clark Lab is hiring post-docs to drive research in convergent evolution and evolutionary genetics. Current projects in the lab study the genetic basis of adaptation to extreme behaviors and environments, such as diving in marine mammals, regressive evolution of eyesight in subterranean species, and adaptations to high-altitude.
Jan 14, 2020
2019
The Clark lab has moved!
We have relocated to the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah.
Sep 3, 2019
2018
Wynn Meyer et al. publish in Science
Ancient convergent losses of Paraoxonase 1 yield potential risks for modern marine mammals Featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Le Monde, and 30 other publications around the world.
August 2018
Melissa Plakke Receives Mellon Fellowship
Melissa Plakke, PhD Candidate in the lab, has been awarded the Mellon Fellowship for next academic year. She also won a Presentation Award at the Pitt Grad Expo. Way to go, Melissa!
April 2018
Jerrica selected for Mentor-Mentee Summer Program
Long-time lab undergraduate, Jerrica Jamison, was selected for this competitive summer program, during which she will continue her research in seals, sea lions, and other pinnipeds.
March 2018
2017
Convergent Evolution in Subterranean Mammals
Moles and mole-rats experienced similar changes to their genomes underground. In this eLife publication by Raghav Partha and colleagues, we identify new ocular genes and eye-specific regulatory sequences.
Oct 2017