Dr. James Posakony

Professor

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Biography

Jim Posakony received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1982. Before joining the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 1985, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. In 1986, he was named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences and was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011. His research focuses on the mechanisms of cell-cell signaling pathways and transcriptional regulatory networks that specify cell fates during animal development, particularly in the peripheral nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster. His lab investigates several key areas, including the regulatory functions of the Notch signaling pathway, dual enhancers controlling neural precursor gene expression, and the role of enhancer architecture in transcriptional specificity.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).