Frank Tulenko

Frank Tulenko is a Research Fellow at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University. His work focuses on evolutionary developmental biology, particularly the origins of vertebrate fins and limbs. Current active projects include investigating the developmental and evolutionary origins of vertebrate fins and limbs (2024-2027) and studying limb musculature evolution (2020-2023).

Research interests center on comparative genomics, genetic expression patterns in evolution, and developmental mechanisms underlying appendage formation. Key collaborations involve Prof. Peter Currie and international teams analyzing gene expression across species.

Publications emphasize fin evolution mechanisms, including median fin derivation from lateral plate mesoderm and Fgf-Shh signaling in fin growth. Work on epaulette sharks revealed insights into slow evolutionary rates through genomic analysis. Contributions include studies on zebrafish myology and antibody gene evolution in fish immunology.

Frank has been consistently productive with 14 documented outputs from 2007-2024, averaging ~1 publication/year. His work frequently appears in high-impact journals like Nature, Nature Ecology & Evolution, and PNAS.