Dapper Lab

Mississippi State University

The Dapper Lab uses evolutionary genetic approaches to understand the origin and maintenance of genetic variation.  A major focus of the lab group is the evolution of reproductive traits - from behavior to cellular pathways. Our research employs both theoretical and empirical approaches, ideally in concert with one another.

Dapper Lab Fall 2021 (From left to right: Taylor Szasz, Dharani Matharage, Riley Cutler, Luke Zacharias, Katherynne Shores, Ethan Baca, Amy Dapper

 
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Dr. Amy Dapper, PI

311 Harned Hall

662.325.7575  

dapper(at)biology.msstate.edu

Taylor Green, PhD Student - Computational Biology

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I received my BSc in Biomedical Engineering at Mississippi State University in 2015, after which I started working at Washington University studying actin cytoskeleton structures and cell motility. I began a PhD program in Computational Biology at Mississippi State University and joined the Dapper lab in Summer 2021. My current projects study the evolution of the meiotic recombination pathway across avian and teleost fish phylogenies. I also plan to expand into genetics in isolated populations. In my spare time I enjoy crafting and hiking the great outdoors with my spouse and dog.

Dharani Matharage, PhD Student - Biological Sciences

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I completed my BS in Biological Sciences at Delta State University in Fall 2019. My undergraduate research was based on silencing mechanisms of transposons in the maize genome, where I learned various techniques like gene mapping and qRT-PCR. I started my PhD in Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University in Dr. Amy Dapper’s lab in Fall 2020. My current research project is on the evolution of recombination rate, focusing on recombination rates of Caenorhabditis elegans. 

LeAnn Ward, PhD Student - Computational Biology

I received my bachelor’s degree in Biological Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU) in 2020. Then, I began doing research as a master’s student in Computational Biology at MSU. I studied gene evolution in the Heliconius genus butterfly, a long-lived species that is a potential model for studying aging. As of 2023, I am now a Ph.D. student in Computational Biology in the Dapper lab, and my research focuses on developing computer simulations to study the evolution of recombination rates. I enjoy spending my free time cuddling with my dog and playing board games.

Ethan Baca, Master’s Student - Biological Sciences

Ethan joined the Dapper lab in Fall 2020. He is working on understanding how whole genome duplications have shaped the evolution of recombination pathway in species of yeast.

Anamica Khadgi, Undergraduate Student

Vineel Vanga, Undergraduate Student

Lab Alumni

Riley Cutler, Undergraduate, 2022

Austin Drury, MS Student, 2021

Katherynne Shores, Undergraduate, 2021

Luke Zacharias, Undergraduate, 2021

Interested in joining the Dapper Lab?

Please contact me at dapper(at)biology.msstate.edu and include a brief description of your research interests and a CV.

 

Background image by Brandon Cooper.