About
Professor Kent Golic is a faculty member in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah, specializing in genetics and chromosome dynamics. He holds a B.S. from Kansas State University (1980) and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington (1986), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago. Since 1990, he has been at the University of Utah, advancing from Assistant Professor (1990–1997) to Associate Professor (1997–2000) before becoming a full Professor in 2000.
His research focuses on chromosome behavior, DNA repair mechanisms, and telomere dynamics in Drosophila melanogaster. Key interests include dicentric chromosome breakage, homolog-dependent repair, anaphase bridges, and the role of centromere strength. He has pioneered methods for targeted mutagenesis using zinc finger nucleases and CRISPR-based systems, with contributions to understanding gene drive safety and synthetic symbiotic systems.
Professor Golic has received prestigious awards, including the Genetics Society of America’s Novitski Prize (2009) and the University of Utah’s Distinguished Research Award (2001). He has served on committees such as the NIH Scientific Advisory Board for the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and contributed to risk assessments for genetically modified organisms.
He teaches advanced genetics courses and supervises thesis research. His grants include NIH-funded projects on chromosome breakage, telomere function, and protein misfolding. Notable publications span Genetics, Science, and PLOS Genetics, addressing topics like chromosome healing, P53 regulation, and synthetic symbioses.
