Chalker awarded research grants

Chalker

Douglas Chalker, associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a $170,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue work on his project “DNA Elimination Mechanisms in Tetrahymena.”

In the last two decades, Chalker has published a variety of works on DNA deletion and genome rearrangement in Tetrahymena thermophilia, a free-living ciliated protozoa and established model used to uncover the workings of genes and genomes.

The NSF also awarded Chalker a $31,410 grant for another project, “Collaborative Research: The Ciliate Genomics Consortium Model for Sustainable Teaching-Research Integration.” He will work with partners Emily Wiley, of Claremont McKenna College; Eric S. Cole, of St. Olaf College; Joshua Smith, of Missouri State University; and Nicholas Stover, of Bradley University, to disseminate innovative teaching strategies.