Dr. David M Eisenmann
Professor · Tenured
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
He/Him/His/Himself
About
I received my training in the fields of Genetics and Developmental Biology and I am fascinated by the process of development. I teach or have taught courses in the areas of genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology and cell signaling. I also serve as Undergraduate Program Director for the Department of Biological Sciences.Research interests
For 25 years my laboratory studied animal developmental biology, in particular the process of cell fate specification - how newly born cells know what fate to adopt during development. We focused on two types of skin cells that arise during development in the invertebrate model system, the nematode worm C. elegans. In the past, we studied the regulation of gene expression downstream of the Wnt signaling pathway in the lateral seam cells and ventral vulval precursor cells in this animal. More recently we examined: 1) the function of pax-3, a gene that regulates the choice between these two skin cell types during embryogenesis, and 2) the temporal co-regulation of a large set of genes in the worm's skin cells during larval life.NOTE: The Eisenmann lab is no longer accepting students, graduate or undergraduate.
Teaching interests
BIOL 302 Molecular and General GeneticsBIOL 430 Biochemistry
BIOL 442 Developmental Biology
BIOL 443 Advanced Topics in Developmental Biology
BIOL 445 Signal Transduction
Education
- Ph D, Genetics — Harvard University (1992)
- BS, Biochemistry — University of Pennsylvania (1985)