Lillian Fritz-Laylin

Lillian Fritz-Laylin is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research program investigates the evolution and diversification of cellular motility mechanisms across eukaryotic lineages. Her work bridges cell biology, evolutionary genomics, and biophysics to understand fundamental questions about cytoskeletal evolution.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley (2003)
• Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (2010)
• Postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco (2010-2017)

Dr. Fritz-Laylin's research centers on Quantitative Evolutionary Cell Biology, specifically examining how cell crawling mechanisms evolved through comparative studies of diverse organisms including Naegleria gruberi, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, human neutrophils, and insect cells. Her lab integrates comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and advanced microscopy to dissect the molecular basis of cytoskeletal networks, with particular focus on actin and microtubule dynamics. This approach reveals both conserved core mechanisms and lineage-specific innovations in cellular motility.

Analysis of her publication record shows consistent emphasis on protist genomics and cytoskeletal evolution, with frequent use of Naegleria as a model system. Her work demonstrates how molecular adaptations in cytoskeletal regulators drive phenotypic diversity across eukaryotes, while maintaining core cellular functions. The research spans evolutionary cell biology, quantitative imaging, and the application of genomic tools to non-traditional model organisms.

Scientific awards: No awards were documented in the provided materials.

Regarding advising and grants, the available documentation does not specify current advisees or active grant funding, though her extensive publication record suggests ongoing research support.

The Fritz-Laylin Lab operates at the intersection of multiple disciplines, utilizing a unique combination of free-living protists, fungal pathogens, and human cells to investigate evolutionary principles of cellular organization. The lab's collaborative approach connects molecular cell biology with broad evolutionary questions, maintaining active partnerships across microbiology, genomics, and biophysics research communities.