Research

Our main research interests are

  • Evolution and structure of the nuclear genomes of dinoflagellate protists
  • Biology and evolution of apicomplexan parasites
  • Evolution of eukaryotic organelles of endosymbiotic origin (mitochondria and chloroplasts)
  • Genomics of Haplosporidia

Collaborations

We are also working in collaboration with these people:

Andrew Roger (Dalhousie), Mary Beth Saffo and Christopher Lane (University of Rhode Island), Claire Gachon (Scottish Marine Institute), Sonia Wirtz, (University of Buenos Aires), Santiago Mora-García (IIB, Buenos Aires), Antonio Uttaro and Sebastián Najle (IBR Rosario, Argentina)

On these topics:

  • Mutualistic Apicomplexas (Saffo/Lane)
  • Mitochondrial evolution (Roger)
  • Oomycete evolution (Claire Gachon)
  • Sonia Wirtz/Leo Majul  (Genomics of fungi)
  • Evolution and function of Ser/Thr Phosphatases in plants, algae and apicomplexan parasites (Mora-García)
  • Sterol metabolism in the ciliate Tetrahymena (Uttaro/Najle)

 

Dinoflagellate biology and evolution

DINOFLAGELLATES These critters are among the lab’s favourites. They exhibit many fascinating features and also lots of questions. Our research focuses mainly on their genes and genomes, in the context of the evolution of alveolates, the eukaryotic group dinoflagellates belong in. DINOFLAGELLATE GENOME EVOLUTION OXYRRHIS MARINA FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS WHAT ARE DINOFLAGELLATES? These protists are classified …