To this point, the Department has not had a specific research plan other than to hire the best available researchers in areas that the Department thought important and to give them their head to develop research in their own areas as they saw fit. Indeed, there is substantial sentiment in the Department that there is only a limited extent to which research can be planned.
None-the-less, there are some points about research development in the Department that can be made with reference to the Hiring Plan..
The group has a strong international reputation in population and
applied ecology The group maintains close ties with the evolution group. Several
faculty work at the boundary between ecology and evolution.
Research
Strengths:
Our current research strengths lie in five areas. 1) We are world leaders in experimental
population and ecosystem ecology, particularly in large-scale experiments in
arctic, temperate and tropical ecosystems. 2) Modeling of theoretical and
applied problems has brought international prestige to UBC. 3) There has
been a longstanding strength in aquatic ecology, particularly with
salmonids, freshwater fishes and insects, all, of which are of economic
importance to British Columbia. 4)
We are Canadian leaders in the Biological control of invasive insects and
weeds. 5) Our studies of Conservation ecology and biodiversity have
grown recently, with emphasis on both global and Canadian problems.
Future
Developments:
These will be closely tied to programs in the Centre for Biodiversity Research.
In particular, we are focusing on new directions of research that will examine
the impacts of invasive species, the consequences of biodiversity loss for
ecosystems, and the effects of global climate change on species abundance.
Appointments:
Charles Krebs, Canada’s foremost terrestrial ecologist, will retire next year
and there will be complete turnover of faculty in the group by 2010. Senior
members of the ecology group have been playing increasing administrative roles
in the department and faculty of Science, at a cost to our research programs.
New hiring is urgently needed to maintain the strength of the group. The renewal
process began in January 2001 with the appointment of Diane Srivastava
(experimental field ecology- Position 1, departmental hiring plan). We hope to
make further strong appointments in the next 2-3 years (conservation biology
- Position 13, UBC
sustainability and environment cluster; a new director for the Biodiversity
Centre as a CRC chair Position
3, sustainability and environment cluster). These appointments are critical
for the future of the ecology and evolution groups. We also hope to strengthen Behavioural
Ecology with a position from the upcoming retirement of N. Liley.
Infrastructure:
The deplorable space currently occupied by the ecologists is retarding the
faculty replacement process because prospective faculty are unwilling to accept
the poor research facilities. Modern ecology requires both modern laboratories
for molecular methods, and modern computing facilities.
Initiatives:
First, we are working on a plan to develop a new building for the Centre for
Biodiversity Research to house the core group of faculty associated with the
Ecology and Evolution disciplines. Rapid progress with a new biodiversity
building is of the utmost importance to enable us to hire new faculty. Secondly,
we are working on a fund-raising campaign to enable us to operate the new
building. This has the objectives of: i) providing support staff for the
laboratories, ii) providing curatorial staff for the collections used for
biodiversity research, and iii) to allow us to offer public education in
environmental, natural history and biodiversity issues of national concern
3.2.2 Evolution and Systematics
Current status:
The
evolutionary biology group in the Zoology Department is the strongest in Canada
and one of the best in the world. It is particularly strong in the areas of
evolutionary genetics (Michael Whitlock, Sally Otto, Rosemary Redfield),
evolutionary ecology (Michael Doebeli, Dolph Schluter), evolutionary physiology
(Patricia Schulte), molecular ecology of fishes (Eric Taylor), and parasite
systematics (Martin Adamson). It is complemented by a strong molecular
phylogenetics group in the Botany Department at UBC, and by the ecology group in
the Zoology Department and Centre for Biodiversity Research. The evolutionary
biology group in Zoology is comparatively young, with most of its members newly
appointed in the past 7 years. It is highly interactive and members collaborate
extensively on research, in discussion groups, and in joint lab meetings.
Members also have extensive international collaborations with researchers
at Stanford, U. of Edinburgh, Washington U., UC London, U. Montpelier, IIASA,
and U. Basel. Research conducted by
the group has a very high profile internationally. In the past 4 years alone, 15
papers by the group have appearedin the high profile general science journals Nature
(4), Science (1), PNAS
(3), and Royal Society Proceedings (7), and a much larger number have
appeared in the top specialist journals. Members of the group have won a number of
national and international prizes and distinctions including the Young
Investigator Prize and the President’s Award, both from the American Society
of Naturalists; Fellowship in the Royal Society of London; a senior Canada
Research Chair; two Peter Wall Institute Scholars-in-Residence; a Peter Wall
Institute Early Career Scholarship; and a Steacie Fellowship. Recent students
and postdoctoral fellows in the group have also won numerous prizes including
three Young Investigator Prizes from the American Society of Naturalists and the
Dobzhansky Prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution.
The
group’s current research focuses on fundamental problems in evolution
including the origin and persistence of species; the evolution of species
assemblages; evolutionary consequences of species interactions; the evolution of
cooperation; evolution and maintenance of genetic variation in spatially
structured populations; genetic changes in small populations; the evolution of
sexual reproduction and recombination; forces shaping the evolution of genome
structure; estimating gene flow; and estimating history and phylogeny of
populations and species.
Future prospects:
Over
the past decade Zoology has built critical mass in the study of evolutionary
processes, and the group has grown to form a vital part of the Centre for
Biodiversity Research. The evolutionary biology group has also become a focus
for local, national, and international collaborations involving the study of
biodiversity at the level of genes, genomes, populations, and species. The size
and strength of this group is unique in Canada. In the years ahead the evolution
group will build on this strength with several key appointments, develop its
infrastructure, and improve links with other units on campus.
Faculty
renewal will contribute several key positions over the next 5 years. The first
search is under way, for a senior CRC Chair
in Biodiversity and Systematics. This position will further connect
evolutionary research groups in the Botany and Zoology Departments and represent
a major link to other units on campus involved in the CRC Cluster of Chairs in
Environment and Sustainability. Subsequently,
junior positions will be added in the genetic
basis of evolutionary change, evolution
of animal development, and in field
evolutionary biology. These
positions will help to fulfill the Department’s desperate need to replace a
series of retirements in organismal biology, and additionally to complement the
evolution group’s strength in evolutionary theory.
Renewal
and development of the group will also require that two key infrastructure
projects go forward in the near future. The first is a building to replace the
sadly deteriorated Huts where most members of the evolution group are currently
housed. The second is a new experimental pond facility to replace the South
Campus experimental pond facility, whose lifespan is nearing its end, and whose
site is slated for commercial and residential development. CFI fund are being
sought to cover part of the cost of both infrastructure projects.
3.2.3 Physiology Group:
The key components required for the evident success
achieved by the Physiology Group to this point have been (i) disciplinary
cohesiveness (intellectually overlapping research interests), (ii) critical
mass, (iii) high energy, and (iv) conditions favouring cross-boundary
interactions. When the components
were assembled they set in motion the development of an internationally
identifiable group with an enviable reputation of being one of the leading
groups in the field worldwide.
Maintenance of this group is essential for maintenance of the Department. Furthermore, it will become increasingly important as the group through whom research in the life sciences can bridge from cell/molecular/biochemical levels to environmental/ecological/evolutionary levels in the biological hierarchy. Such interactions provide the mechanistic basis for the advances in the applied life sciences that so significantly impact society.
We need to use replacement positions to maintain a strong core group of adaptational physiologists to whom members of other groups can bridge. Greatest strength will come from hiring a group with extensive intellectual and conceptual overlap ensuring maintenance of critical mass and an intellectually exciting environment. Future (re)growth of the group can subsequently be used to bridge to other segments of the Department and University community.
Given the large number of impending retirements, the sequence of replacements is not critical so long as there is some assurance that most, if not all, retiring faculty will be replaced. Throughout the transition process concerted effort should be directed towards maintaining cohesiveness, critical mass, intellectual energy and high productivity. We propose the following hires, realizing that this proposal is somewhat at variance with the Departmental Hiring Plan. In short, we propose that the Carefoot and Liley slots should be used to strengthen comparative physiology rather than evolutionary biology, as in the present plan. It should be noted, however, that there are a number of positions that bridge to other areas including evolutionary biology.
Position #1: Comparative (Mechanistic) Physiology - Liley Slot: We should hire an individual with an interest in the genetic basis of physiological function. For example we might hire a geneticist/ evolutionist with an interest in organ system / whole organism physiology. We envisage an individual that would act as an interface between those studying more classical genetics as well as cell/molecular biology and the core group of comparative physiologists working at the organ system/whole organism level. We envisage hiring an individual in the area of zebrafish genetics since this is a model system that fits with our stated research emphasis and that is well positioned to take advantage of recent advances in the fields of genomics and proteomics and apply them to physiological questions at higher levels in the biological hierarchy.
Positions #2, 3: Environmental Physiology - Hochachka and Carefoot slots:We envision hiring two reseaerchers with an interest in animal energetics utilizing field approaches. For one position we seek a candidate in the area of Remote Sensing / Environmental/Physiological Ecology. We want an individual with the ability to conduct rigorous physiological studies on animals freely behaving in their natural environment. These individuals would act as an interface between those studying biodiversity and field ecology and the core group of comparative physiologists working at the organ system/whole organism level. We envisage hiring individuals whose primary interest is in the field physiology and energetics of aquatic organisms.
3.2.4. Cell Biology Group
Present
research:
The Cell Biology Group currently has six full members (three full
professors, one associate professor and two assistant professors) and three members
(two full professors and assistant professor) that also have major
associations with other groups.
Three of our members use the powerful model organism Drosophila to study
aspects of gene expression and development.
•Dr. Hugh Brock studies the
maintenance of gene silencing by Polycomb group proteins , important regulators of
transcription during development. Dr.
Brock is also the director of the Genetics Graduate Program.
•Dr. Tom Grigliatti, has
made significant contributions to two areas: (1) the genetics of chromatin
assembly and how it regulates gene expression and (2) the regulation and
function of transposable elements. Dr.
Grigliatti is also involved in Biotechnology endeavors that have led to the
development of a very powerful insect cell expression system.
•Dr. Vanessa Auld studies
the role of glial cells in the development of the Drosophila nervous system.
Dr. Auld is also a member of CORD and she has collaborative projects
examining the role of glia in mammalian cells during development and
regeneration. The remaining members
of our group use a variety of model systems. •Dr. Linda Matsuuchi
is an immunologist who is an expert in the area of B lymphocyte signal
transduction, studying receptor signals that regulate B lymphocyte survival and
activation. Dr. Matsuuchi is also
studying protein assembly in the ER, protein trafficking to the cell surface and
compartmentalization of receptors. •Dr.
Don Moerman is a leader in the field of C.
elegans muscle development. Dr. Moerman uses genetic, biochemical and
morphological approaches to identify novel muscle proteins that influence the
assembly of muscle attachment sites. Dr.
Moerman is also an associate of the Biotechnology Labs and the Director of the
“Reverse Genetics Facility”. This
facility is taking advantage of the completely sequenced C. elegans genome and is supplying made-to-order knockout organisms
to members of the local and international scientific community.
•Dr. Nelly Pante is a leader
in the field of nuclear import. Dr.
Pante uses a combination of biochemical and state of the art-morphological
techniques to dissect the complex steps involved in the transport of proteins
and viruses to the nucleus and through the nuclear pore.
•Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff is associated with our group through
collaborations with Dr. Auld. He is
a member of CORD, the Physiology group and holds the Rick Hansen endowed chair.
Dr. Tetzlaff’s research is in the area of spinal cord regeneration
using animal model systems. •Dr.
Jane Roskams is currently being recruited to our department.
She is also a member of CORD and is currently at the Center for Molecular
Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT). Dr.
Roskams is a neurobiologist who studies the development of olfactory neurons
using an animal model system.
All
of these researchers have published extensively in excellent journals
(Development, J. of Cell Biology, Current Biology, EMBO Journal, J. of
Biological Chemistry, J. of Immunology, Genetics, Developmental Biology, PNAS,
Molecular Biology of the Cell and J. of Neuroscience).
In addition, we have been well funded by grants from the MRC/CIHR,
National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC), NSERC (Operating, Equipment and
Strategic grants), the Leukemia Research Fund of Canada, and the Rick Hansen
Institute. Dr. Auld is currently an
International Howard Hughes Scholar and a past NSERC Women’s University
Research Fellow. Dr. Snutch is a past
International Howard Hughes Scholar. Dr. Moerman, as
director of the “Reverse Genetics Facility”, has submitted a grant
application that was highly ranked in the current Genome BC research
competition. Finally, many members
of our group have served (and are serving) on national grant review panels,
including MRC/CIHR Biochemistry Molecular Biology, MRC/CIHR Immunology and
Transplantation, MRC/CIHR Neurosciences, BC Health Research Foundation and NSERC.
The
Cell Biology group’s research concentrates on the molecular and cellular
biology underlying the process of development and uses a variety of model
systems, Drosphila melanogaster, C.
elegans, Xenopus, tissue culture cells and transgenic mouse models to place
this information in a biological context. Of
major importance to our group is the EM/Imaging facility, currently
directed by Dr. Elaine Humphrey. Many
of our members rely heavily on these light and electron microscopy facilities on
site. We
are committed to maintaining and upgrading a state-of the art imaging center on
campus.
We
need to address the relationship between the Cell Biology group in the Dept. of
Zoology and other Cell Biologists at UBC. Cell
biology research is very strong on the UBC campus but it is scattered in many
departments and Institutes. Over
the past ten years the group in Zoology has established both scientific
interactions and collaborations with many members of the virtual
“interdepartmental” Cell Biology Group, the Vancouver Signaling Network and
the Neurosciences group. For
example, we interact with members of the Biotechnology Labs, the Biomedical
Research Centre, the Terry Fox labs, the CMMT, the Dept. of Anatomy, the Dept.
of Microbiology/Immunology, the Dept. of Botany, the Dept. of Biochemistry and
the Dept. of Psychiatry. The
further development of this “interdepartmental” Cell Biology Group as a
distinct entity that serves as a focus for the cell biology community at UBC
will result in even stronger ties between our group in Zoology and other cell
biologists. We envision a future
Cell Biology Research group that spans multiple departments from both the
Faculties of Science and Medicine.
Infrastructure:
Research
in Cell Biology encompasses studies at the levels of macromolecules, cells,
invertebrate model organisms, vertebrate model organisms and humans.
We all use some combination of genetic, molecular, biochemical and
morphological tools for our studies. In
the future, it will be essential for our group to have improved infrastructure
that goes beyond essential items like autoclaves, tissue culture facilities,
darkrooms, cold rooms, x-ray film developers and centrifuges.
These essential items need to be upgraded and maintained and we need
university and departmental infrastructure support to do this. Recent technological advances such as (a) the sequencing of
the C. elegans, Drosophila, Arabadopsis,
human and mouse genomes, (b) the development of methods for regulatable gene
expression in model systems, (c) sophisticated flow cytometry and microscopy for
analyzing single cells and (d) ultrasensitive methods for analyzing proteins
(mass spectrometry, Biacore, structural analysis, etc.), will greatly increase
the pace and scope of research in Cell Biology.
The integration of molecular, cellular, and physiological research
creates the potential for important breakthroughs that will impact directly on
our understanding of basic biological processes and on human health.
The challenge for the Cell Biology group in our department will be to
obtain access to these leading edge technologies that already are integral parts
of research in cell biology and which are available to competing researchers at
other institutions in Canada and internationally.
In particular, we will need access to (1) computer tools for analyzing
and comparing C. elegans, Drosophila,
Arabadopsis, human and mouse genome data, (2) animal facilities for the
efficient generation of transgenic and knockout mice, flies, and worms,
state-of-the-art (3) flow cytometry, (4) light
and electron microscopy and (5) mass spectrometry.
These tools will be essential for the Cell Biology researchers in the
Zoology Department to remain competitive. The
Faculty of Science, the Department. of Zoology, and other life science departments on
campus (Botany, Micro/Immunol, Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Medical
Genetics, Psychiatry) must work with other units at UBC to establish and
maintain such facilities. A new
life sciences building which houses these core facilities and which will put the
Zoology Department. Cell Biologists in close proximity to other cell biologists from
different departments, will be important for providing the type of scientific
environment in which we can perform cutting edge research and remain
competitively funded.
Future
Research Hirings: The current research carried out by members of the Cell
Biology group in the Zoology Department covers many topics that are likely to
remain important and timely in the near future.
In particular, the research in developmental biology has significant
implications for other areas of biology, and potential applications for the
diagnosis and treatment of human disease. However,
given the broad scope of Cell Biological research, additional faculty should be
hired who will perform research in emerging areas of Cell Biology that are not
currently covered. Our goal is to
add faculty members that will forge links with (1) current members of our group,
(2) other groups in the department and (3) other Cell Biologists on campus and
at other UBC institutes.
1)
Subcellular Biology - there is a renewed explosion of interest in
the role of the cytoskeleton in cell adhesion and migration and its response to
changes in intracellular signaling. This
area is directly applicable to all areas of Cell Biology research since the
cytoskeleton plays important roles in immune cells, neurons, epithelial cells,
muscle cells and in the intracellular trafficking of vesicles, organelles and in
the response of the host cell to viral and bacterial pathogens.
The Zoology department and the Microbiology and Immunology department are
currently recruiting a candidate for a C21
research chair in subcellular biology.
This new faculty member will forge a strong link between the Cell
Biologists in both host departments as well as with members of the virtual Cell
Biology group on campus. Since one of the purposes of the C21 research chairs is to
form a focus upon which to build future research directions, we envision the
hiring of more than one additional faculty members that work in this area in
order to promote a strong synergy and create a critical mass. Our preference is for researchers who study the role of the
cytoskeleton using a simple model organism like C. elegans, Drosophila melanogaster or Dictyostelium. This
type of research would complement our current C21 candidate, Dr. Henry Higgs who
uses biochemical and biophysical approaches to study the interactions among
components of the actin cytoskeletal system.
2)
Developmental Biology
using mammalian model systems -The
other area of Cell Biology research that needs to be strengthened in our
department is the use of mouse models as the ultimate physiological tests of
predictions based on cell and molecular biology derived from other model
organisms like Drosophila melanogaster
and C. elegans.
In the end, how the system works in all types of organisms is the bottom
line for both basic and biomedical research. Currently,
only members of CORD (the neurobiologists) in our department use mouse models. While
these labs breed and cross transgenic mice, the members of our department do not
have ready access to facilities for the generation of transgenic and knockout
mice. Such facilities are now
standard core facilities at major universities and institutes where biological
research is carried out. It will
become increasingly essential for Cell Biology researchers in our department to
take their biochemical and molecular models to the next level, i.e.
physiological tests in animal models. The hiring of additional faculty members
that work with mammalian model systems will help the establishment of this type
of transgenic facility by supplying a critical mass of researchers that need and
support this endeavor. Again,
campus-wide facilities need to be established. Our department needs to be a full
partner (as opposed to guest users) in terms of access to these facilities.
3)
Neural development using model organisms – the
functioning of the brain and nervous system is an important area of future
research. Our department has considerable strength in neurobiology,
with members in the Cell Biology group, in the Physiology group. and in CORD.
Due to the complexity of the nervous system it can be an advantage to
study neural development in simpler model organisms.
This complementary approach enables researchers to study conserved
neurobiological processes that are fundamentally important.
Several new faculty members in this research area will be important for
the future development of our group. These
researchers will forge important links in our department and across campus. In particular, if the new faculty member used the model
organism C. elegans, connections with
the neurosciences group on campus (Depts of Anatomy, Psychiatry, Psychology and
the Biotechology labs) will be made as well as key connections with the
“Reverse Genetics Facility”, which uses C.elegans
as its base. Already, several
members of the neurobiology group in Zoology and others on campus have requested
and received made-to-order gene knockout C.
elegans strains from the “Reverse Genetics Facility”, which is directed
by a member of the Zoology Cell Biology group (Moerman). A significant effort of time and money from the Biotechnology
Labs has been put out in support of this facility. A new faculty member who is expert in the analysis of neural
development in C. elegans would help
form a critical mass with researchers using their new knockout worms and supply
additional expertise in this area of research.
Moreover, if this researcher were also interested in signal transduction
during neural development, interactions with the very strong signaling network
in Vancouver would also be established. A
single faculty member is not sufficient to create a critical mass so we envision
the hiring of additional new faculty members that use
other organisms like Drosophila melanogaster or Zebrafish model systems to study
development and this would clearly strengthen this strong research focus.
Last updated 01 May 2001