Edward Rubin
Encyclopedia
Edward M. "Eddy" Rubin is an internationally known geneticist and medical researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
in Berkeley, California
and has served as the director of the Department of Energy
's Joint Genome Institute
since 2002. In addition to his research, Rubin has trained more than 50 scientists who have moved on from his laboratory to serve as faculty at leading institutions. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and scientific advisory boards, including the Board of Reviewing Editors for the journal Science, and has played key roles in directing genomic research at the DOE and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Rubin oversaw the DOE JGI's involvement in the Human Genome Project, during which time the DOE JGI worked on chromosomes 5, 13 and 16. After that project, he reoriented the DOE JGI toward applying genomics to studies related to bioenergy and the environment, sequencing and analyzing the genetic codes of hundreds of plants, fungi and microbes.
Rubin's early scientific work centered on the functional exploration of the human genome, harnessing sequence comparisons between species for the discovery of genes and non-coding sequences of pivotal evolutionary and biomedical importance. Among his projects is work involving sequencing DNA from Neanderthal bones, though he was not involved in the May 2010 publication of a draft Neanderthal genome. Rubin has published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, primarily focused on the development of methods to study genomes. More recently, he has been on the forefront of the new science of metagenomics
, deriving important insights from his investigations of microbial communities inhabiting environments ranging from gutless ocean-dwelling worms to cow rumen that might be useful for commercial biofuel production, cleaning up contaminated sites, and other applications.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and has served as the director of the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
's Joint Genome Institute
Joint Genome Institute
The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute was created in 1997 to unite the expertise and resources in genome mapping, DNA sequencing, technology development, and information sciences pioneered at the DOE genome centers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Lawrence Livermore...
since 2002. In addition to his research, Rubin has trained more than 50 scientists who have moved on from his laboratory to serve as faculty at leading institutions. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and scientific advisory boards, including the Board of Reviewing Editors for the journal Science, and has played key roles in directing genomic research at the DOE and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Rubin oversaw the DOE JGI's involvement in the Human Genome Project, during which time the DOE JGI worked on chromosomes 5, 13 and 16. After that project, he reoriented the DOE JGI toward applying genomics to studies related to bioenergy and the environment, sequencing and analyzing the genetic codes of hundreds of plants, fungi and microbes.
Rubin's early scientific work centered on the functional exploration of the human genome, harnessing sequence comparisons between species for the discovery of genes and non-coding sequences of pivotal evolutionary and biomedical importance. Among his projects is work involving sequencing DNA from Neanderthal bones, though he was not involved in the May 2010 publication of a draft Neanderthal genome. Rubin has published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, primarily focused on the development of methods to study genomes. More recently, he has been on the forefront of the new science of metagenomics
Metagenomics
Metagenomics is the study of metagenomes, genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples. The broad field may also be referred to as environmental genomics, ecogenomics or community genomics. Traditional microbiology and microbial genome sequencing rely upon cultivated clonal cultures...
, deriving important insights from his investigations of microbial communities inhabiting environments ranging from gutless ocean-dwelling worms to cow rumen that might be useful for commercial biofuel production, cleaning up contaminated sites, and other applications.
Select Publications
- A phylogeny-driven genomic encyclopaedia of Bacteria and Archaea
- Genomics of cellulosic biofuels
- Genome sequencing and analysis of the biomass-degrading fungus Trichoderma reesei (syn. Hypocrea jecorina)
- Metagenomic and functional analysis of hindgut microbiota of a wood-feeding higher termite
- The DNA sequence and biology of human chromosome 19