معرفی
Aman Husbands is the Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences and Department of Biology. His laboratory is located in the Caroline Lynch Building at 433 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Dr. Husbands' research focuses on understanding the mechanisms enabling reproducible developmental patterning, particularly in leaf morphogenesis. His lab investigates how plants solve the biological problem of producing flat leaf architecture from initially radially symmetric structures, with special emphasis on dorsoventral (top-bottom) patterning. A key research area involves the CLASS III HOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIPIII) proteins, ancient transcription factors that play crucial roles in plant development, stem cell maintenance, and vascular patterning across 700 million years of evolution.
His laboratory employs molecular, biochemical, and single-molecule techniques to study transcription factor regulation, guided by the philosophy that "evolution has done the experiments for you." Recent publications reveal a strong integration of computational approaches, particularly topological data analysis, to understand developmental robustness and leaf morphology across plant species. The work bridges molecular biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology to uncover fundamental principles of developmental patterning.
Scientific Awards:
- Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Professorship
Dr. Husbands leads an active research laboratory with multiple graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate researchers including Nicole Callery (Lab Manager), Sarah Choudury and Ricardo Urquidi Camacho (Postdocs), Courtney Dresden and Isabella Higgins (Graduate Students), and Sarah Ortiz-Polanco (Undergraduate). Recent lab news includes a publication from Isabella and Sarah in New Phytologist. The lab maintains a collaborative environment focused on understanding developmental patterning through genetics, molecular biology, and computational analysis, with affiliations to the Penn Epigenetics Institute.
