The web of life is weaved from a wide variety of species connected through diverse
interactions with fitness effects ranging from negative such as antagonism to positive
such as cooperation. These inter-species interactions, or symbioses, drive the
biogeochemical cycling of elements in the ecosystem and directly impact our health.
What are the bases for the origin and persistence of symbioses? What affects the
ecology and evolution of symbioses? How do symbiotic partners evolve and coevolve?
How do symbioses affect community structure and function? A variety of
model systems with inherent tradeoffs can be used: Mathematical models offer the
highest level of abstraction, controllability, and flexibility. Starting from a set of
assumptions shared among different systems, mathematical models aim to predict
general phenomena, though predictions may not as realistic as any particular
biological system. If a mathematical model is validated, parameters can be varied to
perform computational “experiments” that would otherwise be nearly impossible to
execute in the laboratory. Engineered biological systems offer the advantages of
defined inter-species interactions, experimental tractability, and biological realism
such as accumulation of diverse mutations. Simplified sub-communities of natural
systems, selected for their ability to carry out particular reactions such as metabolizing
complex organic compounds, offer a higher level of complexity than engineered
systems yet still allow some experimental manipulability.
My group has mainly used engineered S. cerevisiae systems and mathematical
models to explore three inter-related areas: 1. evolution of incipient inter-species
cooperation; 2. mechanisms by which cooperators can fend off competitively superior
cheaters; and 3. the influence of cell-cell interactions on community structure and
function.
Biography
1988-90 Undergraduate, Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Fudan University
1990-93 B.A., Mathematics; B.A. Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA.
1993-2001 PhD, Biology, Caltech, Pasadena, CA.
2001-2007 Postdoc, Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Research Center, New York.
2007-Present Assistant Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Division
of Basic Sciences, Seattle, WA .