Graduate Field of Genetics and Development

Individual Student Views

Kirk Lohmueller
Clark/Bustamante Labs
G&D (Entered Fall 2005)

From: East Hampstead, NH
Undergraduate: Georgetown University, Washington, DC; BS (Biology) in 2005

Statement

I came to Cornell University because of the strong program in evolutionary biology and population genetics. Cornell is rather unique in that it has really top-notch people working on both theoretical and applied population genetics. In addition to the strong population genetics community, Cornell offers wide variety of quality courses. When I came to Cornell, my main interests were in analyzing human genetic variation to better understand disease and evolution. However, now as a result of excellent coursework and interacting with my colleagues, I am becoming more interested in the theoretical issues underlying these topics.

Also, having lived in Washington, DC for four years prior to coming to Cornell, I needed a change from a big city. Ithaca has been a wonderful place for graduate school. It is clean, quiet, free of traffic, and very affordable.

The Field of Genetics and Development is quite special as well. The Field structure allows students to have multiple advisers in different departments, allowing for true interdisciplinary research.

Research

My research focuses on using genetic variation to understand human evolution and susceptibility to disease. Most of my recent work has involved analyzing genetic variation from different populations, and then using theoretical models to estimate evolutionary parameters or determine if certain models are sufficient to explain the patters we see in data.

Karen Osorio
Tumbar Lab
G&D (entered program 2004)

From: Born in Puerto Rico
Undergraduate Studies: University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus

Statement

As an undergraduate student, I became more interested in biology and wanted to keep learning. So, I decided to pursue my doctoral degree in the field of Genetics and Development. I chose to come to Cornell because it is one of the top Universities in United States and in addition, there were several labs that I was interested in. When I came for an interview, I met different people in our department from whom I felt the friendly environment, and I thought that I could gain friends as I pursue my degree. So far, I haven’t regretted my decision of coming to Cornell.

Research

The Tumbar laboratory uses stem cells from one of the epidermal appendages of the skin, the hair follicle, as a model system to study mechanisms that regulate stem cell function in morphogenesis, homeostasis and injury repair. In our previous genomic screen (Tumbar et al, 2004) we identified the transcription factor RUNX1, widely known for its pivotal function in hematopoietic stem cells emergence, to be differentially expressed in the stem cell compartment of the mouse hair follicle. To understand the function of Runx1 in the hair follicle stem cells, we employed targeted conditional deletion analysis in mice. Currently I am analyzing the phenotype of the Runx1 mutant mice.