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Professor Swalla began her career at the University of Iowa, focusing on cartilage muscle differentiation and limb patterning in chicken embryos under Professor Michael Solursh. A transformative summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, ignited her passion for research, leading to postdoctoral studies with Professor William R. Jeffery at the University of Texas at Austin and Bodega Marine Lab at the University of California at Davis. Her work centers on the molecular basis of development in ascidians and hemichordates and the evolution of chordates. Since the early 1990s, she has been advancing molecular phylogenetic studies of deuterostomes, proposing a new hypothesis regarding a worm-like deuterostome ancestor. Currently, her lab investigates the evolution and development of chordates, utilizing a variety of data-driven approaches, including genomics and transcriptomics, to analyze animal body plans.
University of Washington • Seattle, WA
Retired professor with extensive research in evolutionary biology and marine genomics.
Friday Harbor Laboratories • Friday Harbor, WA
Oversee laboratory operations and research initiatives in marine biology.
Standard Graduate School requirements for University of Washington apply to most departments listed unless specified otherwise by the program.