John Cobb

John Cobb is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary and a Child Health & Wellness Researcher at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. His lab investigates transcriptional regulation in developmental genetics, using mouse models to study limb patterning, craniofacial development, and SHOX gene function.

Research focuses on enhancer dynamics, gene deserts, and R-spondin signaling in skeletal morphogenesis. Recent work identifies cis-regulatory elements controlling Shox2 expression and their roles in cardiac pacemaker development.

He teaches developmental biology and mentors students in genetic techniques. Collaborative projects explore evolutionary limb adaptation (e.g., jerboa foot growth) and pituitary cell differentiation.