Dr. John Wallingford

Biography

John B. Wallingford is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds the Robert P. Doherty, Jr. Regents Chair and is involved in interdisciplinary life sciences graduate programs. His research primarily focuses on understanding the major challenges in biology, specifically how form and function arise during the development of embryos. The Wallingford lab investigates complex tissue rearrangements that assemble embryos, guided by patterned gene expression and executed by specialized cell behaviors. By adopting a multi-tiered approach that combines systems biology, bioinformatics, and novel in vivo imaging techniques using model organisms like Xenopus, zebrafish, and mice, his current work emphasizes planar cell polarity dynamics, actomyosin dynamics, and collective cell movement among other areas. Wallingford's studies aim to elucidate mechanisms behind ciliopathic birth defects and exploit evolutionary insights to advance cell biology and drug discovery. Ultimately, his research endeavors will contribute to a deeper understanding of the genetics and cell biology relating to human birth defects.

Research Interests