معرفی
Justin Meyer is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Ecology, Behavior & Evolution at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where he leads the Meyer Lab focused on experimental microbial ecology and evolution. His research bridges theoretical evolutionary biology with practical applications in phage therapy and synthetic biology, using bacteriophage lambda as a key model system.
Dr. Meyer received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and was a Systems Biology Departmental Fellow at Harvard Medical School, where he was awarded the James S. McDonnell Foundation Fellowship for Studying Complex Systems. He joined the UCSD faculty in 2014, establishing his research program at the intersection of evolutionary theory and microbial systems.
Meyer's research spans several interconnected areas in evolutionary biology. His lab investigates fundamental questions about speciation, novelty, evolvability, and complexity using microbial experimental systems. Through innovative approaches combining trackable microbial platforms and synthetic biology, his team generates new datasets to test evolutionary and ecological theories that were previously untestable. A key focus is understanding how bacteriophage λ evolves to exploit alternative receptors, providing critical insights into host-pathogen interactions and the mechanisms of evolutionary innovation.
Analysis of Meyer's recent publications (2021-2024) reveals a strong emphasis on the molecular mechanisms of viral evolution, particularly how protein instability and phenotypic heterogeneity drive host-range expansion. His work increasingly integrates theoretical models with experimental approaches to understand fitness landscape deformations during coevolution. The research has significant implications for developing more robust phage therapeutics through "evolutionary training" protocols that pre-evolve bacteriophages to counter bacterial resistance.
Scientific recognition includes:
- James S. McDonnell Foundation Fellowship for Studying Complex Systems
- Systems Biology Departmental Fellowship at Harvard Medical School
Meyer actively mentors the next generation of scientists through his lab at UCSD. His team includes postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and undergraduate researchers working collaboratively on projects spanning from basic evolutionary questions to applied phage therapy development. His lab has secured funding supporting research on coevolutionary dynamics, viral speciation, and the development of synthetic phage platforms for removing antibiotic resistance genes from microbiomes.
The Meyer Lab operates from the Muir Biology Building at UCSD, maintaining active collaborations with researchers across disciplines including synthetic biology, microbiology, and medical researchers developing novel antimicrobial therapies. The lab's work on "evolutionary training" of bacteriophages and gene drive technologies represents a unique integration of theoretical evolutionary biology with practical therapeutic applications.
