A&S Researcher of the Month: Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown
The College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State has named Matthew Brown, an assistant professor of biology in the Department of Biological Sciences, Researcher of the Month for April.
Brown specializes in the evolutionary history and biology of microbial eukaryotes (protists), and heads the Evolutionary Protistology Laboratory in Harned Hall, which is home to MSU's Department of Biological Sciences.
Brown's lab is most interested in understanding how complexity in simple, single-celled, amoeboid microbes emerged. The lab is developing model systems to understand the genomic and developmental basis of these fascinating, but vastly understudied organisms. Additionally, the lab focuses on using and developing cutting-edge DNA sequencing methods and bioinformatic techniques to better address these questions. Work in his lab involves numerous international collaborations with experts in Brazil, Canada, England, Japan, Spain and Russia, as well as other colleagues in the U.S.
A recent research highlight is a newly discovered genus and species of amoeba -- Ptolemeba bulliensis -- found on Mississippi State University's campus and named after the first "Bully" (Read more at http://msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=6687).
Brown's current work is focused on understanding the genomic and developmental complexity in Amoebozoa, which is the group of microbes most closely related to the animals and fungi. His laboratory is using genomic-level surveys and developmental transcriptomics to examine commonalities among the various organisms within the group.
Brown's research on the evolutionary history of Amoebozoa is funded through an initiation grant from the College of Arts and Sciences Henry Family Research Fund and was recently recommended for funding by the Division of Environmental Biology, Systematics and Biodiversity Science Cluster at the National Science Foundation. He was recently named as the 2015 College of Arts and Sciences Researcher in the Natural and Physical Sciences.
Editor's note: The Arts & Sciences Researcher of the Month is provided by the College of Arts and Sciences at MSU. For additional information, please see www.cas.msstate.edu/research or contact Karyn Brown at kbrown@deanas.msstate.edu or 662-325-7952.
