David Glover

David Glover is a Research Professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering. He holds a B.A. from the University of Cambridge (1969) and a Ph.D. from University College London (1972). His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of mitosis, centriole assembly, and cell division machinery. Glover is renowned for discovering key mitotic kinases like Polo and Aurora A, and for investigating centriole dysfunction in cancer contexts.

His research interests span cellular processes including centrosome amplification, stem cell biology, and synthetic embryo development. He has pioneered genetic approaches in Drosophila to study parthenogenesis and aneuploidy, while also modeling cancer mechanisms through mouse studies involving Plk4 overexpression. Glover has served as a distinguished journal editor and advisor, and was elected to the Royal Society in 2009.

Current research combines structural biology with genetic mutagenesis to dissect centriole assembly pathways. His lab employs advanced microscopy and molecular techniques to study centriole duplication defects and their impact on animal development.

• Key Achievements:
  • Discovery of Polo and Aurora A kinases
  • Elucidation of centriole duplication mechanisms
  • Development of parthenogenesis screening protocols
• Lab Focus:
  • Mitotic machinery structure-function relationships
  • Cancer-relevant centrosome amplification models
  • Genetic dissection of centriole components