UA Evolution Lectureship Series Concludes with ‘Evolutionary Theory in the Age of Genomics’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Carlos D. Bustamante, a professor at Stanford University, will present his lecture, “Evolutionary Theory in the Age of Genomics,” Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Biology Auditorium on The University of Alabama campus.

His lecture will conclude the 2009-2010 Alabama Lectures on Life’s Evolution, known as ALLELE. The lectures are made possible, in large part, by private gifts from Lou Perry of La Jolla, Calif., Eric Hopkins of Austin, Texas and The Barbara and Frank Peters Foundation of Corona del Mar, Calif. His visit is co-sponsored by the UA department of biological sciences.

Bustamante in January was appointed a professor in the department of genetics at Stanford University. Previously, he was a professor in the department of biological statistics and computational biology at Cornell University.

At Harvard University, Bustamante received a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in statistics and his doctorate in biology. His research focuses on analyzing genome wide patterns of variation to infer details on the evolution of the human species. He addresses fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, anthropology and medical genetics. Bustamante is a leader in his field and publishes routinely in Nature, Science and PLoS – the highest caliber journals in science.

Along with private support, the ALLELE lecture series is supported by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences and the departments of anthropology, biological sciences, geological sciences, philosophy and psychology.

The lectures are designed for a non-technical audience and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.bama.ua.edu/~evolution/alleleindex.html.

The ALLELE lecture series is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.