Submitted by Administrator on Mon, 17/09/2018 - 11:00
We are delighted to welcome Dr Emília Santos to the Department as a NERC Independent Fellow. Emília joins us from the Gurdon Institute after studying at the University of Lisbon, the Institute Gulbenkian de Ciência, the University of Basel and more recently a postdoc position at the Institute of Functional Genomics in Lyon. She will be located in the David Attenborough Building.
Dr Santos' research addresses the evolution and diversification of morphological traits using Cichlid fish. She uses a mix of cellular and development biology with quantitative and population genetics. Current projects focus on eggspot pigmentation patterning, neural crest cells diversification and regulatory evolution. Emília is part of the growing Cambridge Cichlid community, collaborating with Eric Miska (Gurdon Institute) and Richard Durbin (Genetics Department) groups as well as with members of this department. Prior to working on Cichlids Emília did some beautiful work on the evolution of the evolution of swimming fans in water striders of the genus Rhagovelia.
Her more recent paper discussed the genetic and adaptive bases underlying the emergence of a novel cuticular structure in a genus of water walking insects - the Rhagovelia fan. Her work showed that a lineage restricted gene is involved in the development and evolution of this structure, which in turn was required to the invasion of a novel environment.