معرفی
Christine Merlin is a Professor & Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M University, affiliated with the College of Science and Department of Biology & Genetics. Her lab, the Merlin Lab, focuses on circadian biology and monarch butterfly migration mechanisms. She is part of the Center for Biological Clocks Research and the Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience.
- B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Animal Biology/Insect Physiology from University Paris 6 Pierre and Marie Curie, France.
- Postdoctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Molecular Neuroethology.
Her research explores how organisms adapt to environmental changes via circadian clocks, using monarch butterflies as a model. Key interests include circadian regulation of migration, photoperiodic responses, and genetic tools for studying clock genes (e.g., TALENs). Recent work highlights roles of cryptochrome proteins and vitamin A pathways in seasonal timing and navigation.
Her publications span circadian mechanisms in insects, neuroecology, and monarch conservation. Notable achievements include the 2025 Single-Cell Multiomic Analysis of circadian rhythms in mouse liver and 2024 studies on cryptochrome dysfunction in monarchs.
- Scientific Award: Presidential Impact Fellow
Current postdoc positions focus on monarch butterfly circadian clocks and migration. Collaborations include the Center for Biological Clocks Research and the Institute for Neuroscience. Her lab integrates molecular genetics, behavioral assays, and genomic profiling to dissect clock-migration interactions.
Labs/Teams: Merlin Lab (Texas A&M), Center for Biological Clocks Research.
