For my doctoral work, I focused primarily on phylogenetics, specifically the inference of evolutionary relationships among species using genome-scale markers. I worked on ultraconserved elements (UCEs), using available genomes to investigate potential function/s of UCEs, and analyzed how UCE loci inform phylogeny. I applied UCEs to elucidate the evolutionary switch between nocturnality and diurnality in the nightbirds, as we know that the diurnal Apodiformes are nested within the nocturnal or crepuscular Caprimulgiformes (this resultant clade is now referred to by the super-orderinal name Strisores).
As a postdoc, I am located in the Retinal Development, Genetics and Therapy section of the Neurobiology Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory within the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health (say that three times fast). Here, I am using an evolutionary perspective to understand the diversity of visual types, including nocturnal vs. duirnal vision, and foveated vs. afoveated vision. I am also developing methods to efficiently identify foveae across avian species, using this as a tool in my effort to characterize vertebrate foveal development.
As a postdoc, I am located in the Retinal Development, Genetics and Therapy section of the Neurobiology Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory within the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health (say that three times fast). Here, I am using an evolutionary perspective to understand the diversity of visual types, including nocturnal vs. duirnal vision, and foveated vs. afoveated vision. I am also developing methods to efficiently identify foveae across avian species, using this as a tool in my effort to characterize vertebrate foveal development.
Research Interests and Current Projects
Comparative Genomics of Vision
Using a diverse sampling covering the extant radiation of vertebrates, I am conducting a comparative analysis of the molecular basis of phototransduction and the evolution of retinal cell types. This work approach is important to understanding the regulation of photoreceptor function and development.
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© 2021 Noor D. White