Lynch, Michael 1951-

PERSONAL:

Born December 6, 1951, in Auburn, NY. Education: St. Bonaventure University, B.S., 1973; University of Minnesota, Ph.D., 1977.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405-3700. E-mail—milynch@indiana.edu.

CAREER:

Writer and educator. University of Illinois, 1977-1989, began as assistant professor, became professor; University of Oregon, Eugene, professor of biology, 1989-2001, director of Ecology and Evolution Program, 1989-1993 and 1996-2000; University of Indiana, Bloomington, professor of biology, 2001-04, distinguished professor, 2005—. Speaker at numerous academic and scientific conferences. National Science Foundation Eukaryotic Genetics Panel, panel member, 2001—; NIH Genetic Variation and Evolution Study Section, panel member, 2004—; Indiana University Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, associated investigator, 2007—.

MEMBER:

Indiana Molecular Biology Institute (senior fellow and member of advisory board, 2001—), American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Genetic Association, Genetics Society of America, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Society for the Study of Evolution.

AWARDS, HONORS:

University of Illinois, faculty summer fellow, 1978; Beckman fellow, Center for Advanced Study, 1981; fellow, Max Planck Institut für Limnologie, Plön, West Germany, 1982, 1984, and 1985; fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1998; fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2002; three grants from the National Science Foundation, 2002-08, and one grant from the National Institutes of Health, 2006-10.

WRITINGS:

(With Bruce Walsh) Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, Sinauer (Sunderland, MA), 1998.

The Origins of Genome Architecture, Sinauer Associates (Sunderland, MA), 2007.

Contributor to various scientific journals, including Ecology, Limnology and Oceanography, Quarterly Review of Biology, Evolution, and Genetics.

SIDELIGHTS:

A writer and educator, Michael Lynch received his undergraduate degree at St. Bonaventure University, then went on to study at the University of Minnesota, where he was awarded a doctorate in ecology. Lynch has gone on to teach at a number of institutions of higher learning, including the University of Illinois, the University of Oregon, and the University of Indiana. He now serves on the faculty at the University of Indiana as a distinguished professor in the department of biology. His primary areas of research and academic interest include molecular biology and genetics, with a particular focus on how they have affected evolution, ecology, and behavior. By studying evolution at the molecular level, Lynch is able to address genetic alterations at a very early stage, whether they are caused by sudden or gradual mutation, recombination, or what is referred to as genetic drift. In order for evolution to take place, these genetic-level alterations must ultimately occur on a population-wide level in sufficient numbers to affect a minimal percentage of the planet's citizens. In addition to studying these molecular contributions to evolution, Lynch conducts research and comparisons that allow him to determine what aspects of previous tracks of study in the subject have failed to provide accurate information, in an attempt to improve upon the overall scientific process. With his fellow researchers at the University of Indiana, Lynch is part of the Daphnia Genomics Consortium, an organization that has been formed in order to map and compare studies of certain genetic activities in hopes of later comparing studies made in the laboratory to the behavior of similar gene pools in nature. Lynch has been awarded a number of grants from both the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to help support his research efforts.

In addition to devoting time to his academic and research duties, Lynch has written a number of books on the subject, Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, which he wrote with Bruce Walsh, and The Origins of Genome Architecture. Both volumes are of a scientific nature, and assume a certain familiarity with genetics and molecular biology of their readers. The Origins of Genome Architecture looks at the structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes and explores both their complexity and diversity, addressing how this came to be and their effect on population evolution. A reviewer for SciTech Book News recommended the volume for "advanced students and researchers." In addition to his books, Lynch also publishes frequently in various journals, including Ecology, Limnology and Oceanography, Quarterly Review of Biology, Evolution, and Genetics.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Journal of Human Biology, November 1, 1999, Warren J. Ewens, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 798.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, March, 1999, James M. Cheverud, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 375.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, October, 2007, D. Carroll, review of The Origins of Genome Architecture, p. 307.

Evolution, February, 1999, Trudy F.C. Mackay, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 307.

Heredity, December, 1998, William M. Thomas, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 703.

Journal of Heredity, January 1, 1999, Paul B. Siegel, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 256; September 1, 2007, Hussein Abdel-Haleem, review of The Origins of Genome Architecture, p. 633.

Quarterly Review of Biology, June, 1999, William A. Nelson, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 225.

SciTech Book News, June, 1998, review of Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits, p. 46; September, 2007, review of The Origins of Genome Architecture.

ONLINE

University of Indiana Department of Biology Web site,http://www.bio.indiana.edu/ (February 15, 2008), faculty profile.