Research Interests:
Eusocial insects exhibit exceptional behavioral and morphological plasticity in response to defined social and environmental cues, which results in the production of distinct castes, as well as more fluid plasticity seen in many species. This has not only contributed to eusocial insects’ ecological dominance, but also makes them excellent models for the study of epigenetic regulation of metazoan plasticity. My research focuses on elucidating the gene regulatory factors underlying eusocial insect plasticity using experimental molecular, comparative genomic and high-throughput sequencing approaches. In particular I study how epigenetic histone post-translational modifications (hPTMs) mediate the production of disparate castes, as well as the more fluid reproductive plasticity present in ponerine ants such as Harpegnathos saltator.I also think arthropods generally kick ass.

Education:
PhD, Biology and computational genomics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Contact:
kglastad@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Fellowship or Grant:
2017 – 2020, NIH NRSA Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)