Mentor & Lab: Avrami Aharonoff, Kelley Lab
Positions: 1 intern
Tentative dates: 06/22/26-08/14/26
Project Location: Coastal Campus
Project Background: Hibernation has been documented in several mammals, such as in brown bears, ground squirrels, and dwarf lemurs as a means to withstand long periods of resource shortage. Throughout the year, brown bears alternate between significant weight gain in preparation for hibernation and weight loss during hibernation. The ability of brown bears and other hibernators to withstand such dramatic and abrupt changes to their physiology can provide fresh perspectives on the limits of human metabolism. Our goal is to understand the genetic and metabolic processes that enable brown bears to undergo such changes without negative consequences. At the molecular level, we take a comparative genomics approach to determine what genes underlie hibernation in a diverse set of hibernators. In addition, by leveraging multiple types of genomic data, such as gene expression data, protein to DNA binding, genome accessibility, and three dimensional interactions between genomic elements, we aim to determine at what genomic levels convergence in hibernation is found.
Intern duties:
Under the guidance of the mentor, the intern will be responsible for processing RNA sequencing data from several species of hibernators to determine the shared suite of genes used for hibernation. The intern will learn the basics of processing sequencing data through standard computational pipelines, and about proper data interpretation. Intern will also be responsible for determining sequence similarity between antibody targets in order to determine the cross species suitability of commercial antibodies for ChIP-seq and other antibody based assays. The intern will collate papers describing genomic approaches in mammalian species as well. Intern is expected to meet with their mentor once a week to discuss progress and troubleshoot.
Intern qualifications:
Willingness to learn bioinformatics. Experience in R and familiarity with the command line are a plus, but not required.
Do you recommend the intern(s) volunteer in your lab during Spring quarter? Yes
