Kirsten Bomblies
Encyclopedia
Kirsten Bomblies is a biological researcher. She was born in 1973 in Germany and grew up in Castle Rock, CO. She received a BA in Biochemistry and Biology from The University of Pennsylvania in 1996. Her research plumbs the genetic, biophysical and other processes that may give rise to new species. She focuses primarily on species in the Arabidopsis genus. For her PhD with John Doebley
at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she studied extant domesticated Maize
(called "Corn" colloquially in United States
) with some study of Teosinte
, its wild precursor. She examines how these plants as well as organisms in general develop to their extant form and function due to the influence of their component genes, proteins and other intrinsic and extrinsic forces. As a postdoc with Detlef Weigel
at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
in Tuebingen, Germany, she began to study how individuals interact with other organisms and to examine selection forces within and across species boundaries, ecotypes
, chronological gradients and other delineations. The work has an experimental component but the theoretical implications of the discoveries Bomblies and her colleagues made have received lots of attention. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008. She joined the faculty of Harvard University
effective July 2009. In her spare time she does nature themed watercolors and other art. She is married to Levi Yant.
John Doebley
John F. Doebley is an American botanical geneticist whose main area of interest is how genes drive plant development and evolution. He has spent the last two decades examining the genetic differences and similarities between teosinte and maize and has cloned the major genes that cause the visible...
at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she studied extant domesticated Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
(called "Corn" colloquially in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) with some study of Teosinte
Teosinte
Zea is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. Several species are commonly known as teosintes and are found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua....
, its wild precursor. She examines how these plants as well as organisms in general develop to their extant form and function due to the influence of their component genes, proteins and other intrinsic and extrinsic forces. As a postdoc with Detlef Weigel
Detlef Weigel
Detlef Weigel is a German American scientist working at the interface of developmental and evolutionary biology.-Scientific career:...
at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
The Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology is located in Tübingen, Germany. The main topics of scientific research conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying spatial information within the embryo, communication between cells...
in Tuebingen, Germany, she began to study how individuals interact with other organisms and to examine selection forces within and across species boundaries, ecotypes
Ecotype
In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype,Greek: οίκος = home and τύπος = type, coined by Göte Turesson in 1922 sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within species , which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.Typically, ecotypes...
, chronological gradients and other delineations. The work has an experimental component but the theoretical implications of the discoveries Bomblies and her colleagues made have received lots of attention. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008. She joined the faculty of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
effective July 2009. In her spare time she does nature themed watercolors and other art. She is married to Levi Yant.