Conference Description
The Molecular Mechanisms in Evolution GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
The 2023 Gordon Conference on Molecular Mechanisms in Evolution will assemble international experts in molecular, medical and evolutionary biology to present the latest findings and diverse perspectives on the molecular basis of evolutionary change. Molecular biology and evolution are the two fundamental unifying principles of life on earth. It is only through the combination of knowledge from these two disciplines that we can (i) unravel how the molecular components of organisms allowed them to survive their past environments, (ii) understand the challenges imposed by present day ongoing evolution occurring in immune cells, cancer tissues or microbial populations, including pathogens, (iii) predict the future responses of organisms to climate changes and other human-driven current selective pressures. To promote this combination of disciplines, the conference program will cover a wide range of topics including: the evolution of proteins and RNAs, the evolution of mutation and recombination rates, non-genetic variation and inheritance, metabolic evolution, the making of complex traits. The principal goal of this GRC is to encourage and nurture a community of researchers, spanning several formal disciplines, with a shared interest in the molecular basis of evolutionary change. Evolutionary scientists include ecologists, geneticists, evolutionary, cellular, and molecular biologists, physicists, and applied mathematicians. With such a wide range of disciplines, it is important to provide an opportunity to experts in these diverse disciplines to appreciate the important discoveries and new technologies from across the breadth of evolutionary science. This conference will provide an engaging atmosphere for open and creative discussions aimed to stimulate collaborations among the participants. In addition to invited speakers, 20 short talks will be chosen from submitted abstracts (primarily from postdocs and graduate students). Engaging poster sessions will provide additional opportunities for the free exchange of ideas. These short talks and posters will provide young scientists and their ideas access to the opinions and suggestions of the more experienced scientists who are invited speakers and chairs.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by February 25, 2023. Please check back for updates.
Keynote Session: Principles and Mechanisms of Genome Evolution
Discussion Leaders
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Daniel Jarosz (Stanford University, United States)
Speakers
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Rong Li (Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore)
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Eugene Koonin (National Institutes of Health, United States)
Mechanistic Control of Molecular Evolution: A Tale of Mutation and Recombination Rates
Discussion Leaders
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Ivan Matic (Université Paris Cité, France)
Speakers
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Jade Wang (University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States)
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Nadia Singh (University of Oregon, United States)
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Adi Stern (Tel Aviv University, Israel)
Protein Evolution: Lessons From Deep Scans and Large Database
Discussion Leaders
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Nobuhiko Tokuriki (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Speakers
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Martin Weigt (Sorbonne Universite, France)
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Douglas Fowler (University of Washington, United States)
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Marc Ostermeier (Johns Hopkins University, United States)
Molecular Determinants of Atypical Heredity
Discussion Leaders
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Mia Levine (University of Pennsylvania, United States)
Speakers
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Sarah Zanders (Stowers Institute for Medical Research, United States)
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Upasna Sharma (University of California, Santa Cruz, United States)
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Didier Mazel (Institut Pasteur, France)
Evolution Beyond Single Nucleotide Variants: The Evolution of Genome Architecture
Discussion Leaders
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Anna Selmecki (University of Minnesota Medical School, United States)
Speakers
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Jef Boeke (Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, United States)
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Dawn Thompson (LifeMine Therapeutics , United States)
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Audrey Gasch (University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States)
Metabolism Evolution, Natural and Engineered Innovations
Discussion Leaders
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Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis (University of Pittsburgh, United States)
Speakers
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Markus Ralser (Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, United Kingdom)
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Julia Vorholt (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
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Bas Teusink (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Drugs, Germs and Genes: Evolution in Response to Stress and Drugs
Discussion Leaders
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Jan Michiels (KULeuven-VIB)
Speakers
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Nathalie Balaban (Hebrew University, Israel)
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Ran Friedman (Linnaeus University)
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Pleuni Pennings (San Francisco State University, United States)
Somatic and Cancer Evolution
Discussion Leaders
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Jamie Blundell (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Ashby Morrison (Stanford University, United States)
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Uri Ben-David (Tel Aviv University, Israel)
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Dmitri Petrov (Stanford University, United States)
Epistasis and The Evolution of Complex Traits
Discussion Leaders
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Nathan Springer (Bayer Crop Sciences, United States)
Speakers
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Emma Farley (UCSD)
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Mark Siegal (New York University, United States)
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Gael Yvert (CNRS and ENS de Lyon, France)
The GRC Power Hourâ„¢
Organizers
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Nathan Springer (Bayer Crop Sciences, United States)
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Dawn Thompson (LifeMine Therapeutics , United States)