The Directory of Research and Researchers at Brown: Michael McKeown

My lab is interested in the way genes interact to control interesting processes in complex organisms, with particular emphasis on generation of complex behaviors and neural degeneration. We use the non-pathogenic fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model. Since a major fraction of critical genes, proteins, and developmental and neural mechanisms are conserved between flies and vertebrates, a substantial fraction of our findings are directly or indirectly informative about humans.

Much or our current work focuses on the gene and neural networks controlling sexual behavior and orientation. Since males and females generate sex-specific behaviors, this is a powerful system in which to dissect development of mutually exclusive behaviors.

Overview | Research | Grants/Awards | Teaching | Publications

I grew up and attended public schools in northern California before entering Stanford. While there I spent two years in the Phil Hanawalt's lab working on nucleoside metabolism in E. coli. As an NSF Predoctoral Fellow, I did my graduate work at the University of California, San Diego, studying the actin multigene family of Dictyostelium with Rick Firtel. I began my studies of Drosophila and sexual differentiation as a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow with Bruce Baker. From there I joined the faculty of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (founded by Jonas Salk), where I also served as an adjunct faculty member at UCSD. While at Salk, I was named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences. In 2000 I came to Brown as a Professor of Medical Science at Brown.

My wife, Erica, and I have been married for 25 years. Our twin children, Charles and Rebecca, recently graduated from Stanford and Harvard. Their younger brother, Gene, is still in high school.

Prior to coming to Brown, I was active in K-12 mathematics and science education issues. Erica and I are among the founders of Mathematically Correct, a nationwide math advocacy group. I was active in writing the San Diego Math Standards and in the early stages of writing the California Science Standards.

Download Michael McKeown's Curriculum Vitae in PDF Format

MICHAEL MCKEOWN, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 1981
Professor
Molecular, Cellular Biology Biochemistry
Phone: +1 401 863 9807
Phone 2: +1 401 863 9808
E-mail: Michael_McKeown@Brown.EDU

Michael McKeown's Brown Research URL:
http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Michael_McKeown

On The Web:
Michael McKeown
Fly mutation suggests link to human brain disease

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