CURRICULUM VITAE

 

Jonathan D. Gruber

 

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

UC Irvine

321 Steinhaus Hall

Irvine, CA 92697-2525

 

Office (494 Steinhaus Hall): 949-824-9593

            Lab (429 Steinhaus Hall): 949-824-5994

Fax: 949-834-2181

Email: gruberjd@uci.edu

 

Research Interests: I am primarily interested in characterizing the molecular basis for the heritable portion of quantitative variation in physiological and molecular traits. This sequence basis of quantitative genetics is critical to our understanding of phenotypic evolution, crop breeding, common heritable diseases, and many other areas.

 

Education:

September 2002 - present

Ph.D. (in progress)

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of California - Irvine

Primary Adviser: Anthony D. (Tony) Long

 

 

September 1996 - June 2000

Bachelor of Science

Robert Donald Clark Honors College

University of Oregon

Major: Biology (Thesis: "Genetics of Floral Development in Mimulus")

Minor: Chemistry

 

 

September 1995 - June 1996

 

Mount Hood Community College

 

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Honors, Awards, and Organizations:           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2002, Biomedical Informatics Training Grant

Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, UC Irvine

 

July 2001, Phi Beta Kappa

Alpha of Oregon Chapter, University of Oregon

 

October 2000, Intramural Research Training Award

National Institutes of Health

 

June 2000, William J. Robert Senior Thesis Award

Ronald D. Clark Honors College, University of Oregon

 

June 2000, Cum Laude Graduation Honors

University of Oregon

May 2000, Thesis Defense: Passed with Distinction

Clark Honors College / Department of Biology, University of Oregon

 

June 1999, Research Training Grant, Genetic Mechanisms of Evolution

National Science Foundation

 

June 1998, Research Training Grant, Genetic Mechanisms of Evolution

National Science Foundation

 

September 1996, Presidential Scholarship

University of Oregon

 

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Publications (peer reviewed):

 

Vozarova, B, J-M Fernandez-Real, WC Knowler, L Gallart, RL Hanson, JD Gruber, W Ricart, J Vendrell, C Richart, PA Tataranni and JK Wolford (2003). The interleukin-6 (-174) G/C promoter polymorphism is associated with type-2 diabetes mellitus in Native Americans and Caucasians. Human Genetics, 112: 409-413. Online 14 February 2003. Reprint (pdf)

 

Wolford, JK, JD Gruber, VM Ossowski, B Vozarova, PA Tataranni, C Bogardus, and RL Hanson (2003). A C-reactive protein promoter polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pima Indians. Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 78(2):136-144. Online 11 February 2003. Reprint (pdf)

 

Gruber, JD, PB Colligan, and JK Wolford (2002). Estimation of single nucleotide polymorphism allele frequency in DNA pools by using Pyrosequencing. Human Genetics, 110(5):395-401. Online 09 April 2002. Reprint (pdf)

 

Posters and Presentations:

 

Wolford, JK, RL Hanson, JD Gruber, B Vozarova, VM Ossowski, C Bogardus. A polymorphism in the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) promoter is associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pima Indians. Poster at American Society of Human Genetics meeting, Baltimore, MD, October 2002.

 

Wolford, JK, PB Colligan, JD Gruber, S Kobes, RL Hanson, C Bogardus, M Prochazka. Linkage disequilibrium mapping of a putative type 2 diabetes locus (1q21-q23) using pooled DNA. Poster at American Society of Human Genetics meeting, San Diego, CA, October 2001.

 

Gruber, JD (Primary advisor: JH Willis. Secondary advisors N Tublitz, E Selker, S Schumann). Genetics of Floral Development in Mimulus. Thesis defense presented May 2000.

 

Aagaard, JE, JD Gruber, J Postlethwait, JH Willis. The contribution of floral development genes to quantitative variation in floral morphology between species of yellow monkey flowers. Poster at Evolution of Development Symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, May 2000.

 

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Research Experience:

 

September 2002 - Present

Graduate Student, Long Laboratory

Principle Investigator: Anthony D. Long

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine

 

Lab goals: Using the Drosophila model system, investigate the genetic basis of quantitative variation for traits such as bristle number, alternative gene splicing, and sexual behavior. Investigate variation for ecologically important traits in Bicyclus using genomic techniques. Investigate various aspects of quantitative and molecular genetics using statistical and bioinformatics approaches.

Duties/Techniques: PCR, Oligo Ligation Assay, mRNA extraction, RT-PCR.

Major projects: [Still in development.]

 

October 2000 - August 2002

Biologist

Principle Investigator: Johanna K. Wolford

Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, National Instutute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders, National Institutes of Health.

 

Lab goal: identify the gene(s) responsible for linkage of type 2 diabetes to human chromosome region 1q21-23 in Pima Indians.

Duties/Techniques: DNA quantification; mutation detection by dHPLC and DNA sequencing on ABI3700 and MegaBACE 1000; SNP genotyping by PCR-RFLP, Pyrosequencing, and SNuPe; oligo design.

Major projects: Developed protocol for DNA fluorometry, pooling, and allele frequency estimation using Pyrosequencing. Scanned human CRP and APCS as candidate genes for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

 

June 1998 - August 2000

Undergraduate Researcher, Willis Laboratory

Principle Investigator: John H. Willis (now at Department of Biology, Duke University)

Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Biology, University of Oregon

 

Lab goals: Using the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus and M. nasutus) as a model system, study population and quantitative genetics relating to speciation, evolution, and ecological interactions.

Duties/Techniques: DNA extraction, quantification, purification, and electrophoresis; PCR using degenerate primers from literature; gene phylogeny building from sequence; EMS mutagenesis; greenhouse responsibilities.

Major projects: F2 screen of EMS-induced mutations of floral development genes. Sequenced Mimulus genes homologous to Cycloidea, a snapdragon floral development gene. The goal of both was to begin to describe floral development genetics in Mimulus for use as candidate genes for QTL affecting the differences between M. guttatus and M. nasutus.

 

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Teaching Experience:

March 1998 - March 2000

Main supervisor: Carl Steifbold

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Department of Biology, University of Oregon.

Five terms of teaching for Core Biology sequence. Classes:

-       Molecular Genetics (George Sprague)

-       Biochemical Basis of Life (Karen Sprague)

-       Genetics and Evolution (Frank Stahl and John Willis)