NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Statistical Physics as a Lens to Illuminate the Evolution of the Genetic Code and Aging

Suvlu Dylan J, Hampden ME

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The complexity of living systems makes the development of universal theories about the history of life on Earth very challenging. All living systems use a genetic code and all age with time—this project will investigate the origin of the genetic code and how changes in the way the code is used relate to aging. The Fellow will use new methods to investigate the molecular mechanisms that may have led to an early version of the genetic code and examine the evolutionary forces underlying biological aging. To increase the participation of groups underrepresented in science, the Fellow will collaborate with experts in STEM education to develop a place-based curriculum for students in Utqiagvik, Alaska, the Fellow's hometown. The curriculum will interweave traditional ecological knowledge, climate science, and modern data analysis methodology to foster STEM engagement in middle school children. The research for this Fellowship will focus on the evolutionary origins of the genetic code and biological aging, two universal features of life on Earth that are not well understood. The Fellow will utilize statistical physics and high-performance computational modeling to investigate how an early version of the genetic code may have emerged from the complex principles that govern phase separation in mixtures of catalytically active molecules thought to be present on early Earth. Statistical models of the epigenome also will be developed to investigate epigenetic changes that occur during aging. The Fellow will receive training in cutting-edge computational biology, curriculum development, STEM outreach, and strategies for effective scientific communication. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.