Keith Adams

Dr. Keith Adams is Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia, where his research bridges molecular genetics, genomics, and evolutionary biology. His laboratory investigates genome evolution, transcriptomic regulation, and functional diversification following gene duplication events, with emphasis on polyploid systems.

Research explores:

• Expression pattern divergence and alternative splicing evolution in duplicated genes
• Functional reconfiguration following whole-genome duplication (polyploidy)
• Subcellular relocalization dynamics and regulatory network rewiring
• Stress-responsive transcriptome plasticity in crops (Brassica, wheat)

Model systems include Brassica napus (canola), Arabidopsis, Populus trichocarpa, and Cannabis sativa. Recent work examines copy number variants in natural Populus populations, alternative splicing in drug-type Cannabis cultivars, and subgenome dominance in Brassica-pathogen interactions. His group employs RNA-seq, comparative genomics, and molecular techniques to decode evolutionary mechanisms shaping gene function.