Future Seminars
COBRE Annual Retreat - October 10, 2025
The Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Human Genetics is pleased to announce the 2025 COBRE Annual Retreat, to be held on Friday, October 10, 2025.
During the retreat, COBRE Project Leaders and Pilot Project Leaders will deliver presentations highlighting their current research efforts. Additional details regarding the retreat agenda will be provided in the coming weeks.
Past Seminars
Clemson University Center for Human Genetics Summer Symposia
May 16, 2025
Evolutionary Genetics in Human Health and Disease
Plenary Speakers
Tony Capra
University of California San Francisco
Talk: “My Ancestor was a Neanderthal. Should I See a Doctor?”
John Lindo
Emory University
Talk: “Detecting Human Adaptation to Pathogens via Ancient DNA”
Megan Dennis
University of California Davis
Talk: “Hidden Genomic Duplications and Human Evolution”
Scott Williams
Case Western University
Talk: “Host-Pathogen Co-Evolution and Disease Susceptibility and Severity”
May 17, 2024
Gene Regulatory Mechanisms in Health and Disease
Plenary Speakers
Robert Anholt
Clemson University
Talk: “Systems Genetics of Substance Use Disorders in Drosophila melanogaster”
Francesca Telese
University of California San Diego
Talk: “Gene Regulatory Mechanism in Substance Use Disorder”
Anita Corbett
Emory University
Talk: “Genetic Approaches to Explore How Mutations in Genes Encoding Structural Subunits of the RNA Exosome Complex Cause Neurological Disease”
Gregory Carter
The Jackson Laboratory
Talk: “Dissecting the Genetics of Gene Expression in Metabolic Health with Genetically Diverse Mouse Models”
May 10, 2023
Experimental and Computational Approaches to Precision Medicine
Plenary Speakers
Richard Steet
Greenwood Genetic Center
Talk: “The Vibrant World of Variant Interpretation”
Yi Ching
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Talk: “Long-Read Strategies to Study the Human Transcriptome”
Beth Sullivan
Duke University
Talk: “Human Centromere Variation and Chromosome Stability”
Rachel Karchin
The Johns Hopkins University
Talk: “Predicting Immunogenic Neoepitopes in Cancers”
May 20, 2022
Genetics of Rare and Common Diseases
Plenary Speakers
Trudy Mackay
Clemson University
Talk: “The Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits: Lessons from Drosophila”
Clement Chow
University of Utah
Talk: “Harnessing the Power of Genetic Variation: Precision Medicine in the Lab”
Monica Justice
University of Toronto
Talk: “Modifier Screens as Pathways to Treatment: Lessons from Rett Syndrome”
Marcello Nobrega
University of Chicago
Talk: “Regulatory Variants and Human Diseases”
Nancy Cox
Vanderbilt University
Talk: “Reconsidering the Future of Genomics in Medicine”
Distinguished Lectures in Human Genetics
April 7, 2025
Nancy Bonini
Florence R.C. Murray Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania
Talk: “Insights into the brain from Drosophila models of human degenerative disease”
March 31, 2025
Diana Bianchi
Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health
Talk: “Non-reportable prenatal cell-free DNA sequencing results: what is the risk of maternal cancer?”
March 3, 2025
Nancy Cox
Mary Phillips Edmonds Gray Professor of Genetics and Director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute
Talk: “Learning the biology of genes a few at a time — easier and more powerful than one at a time!”
January 24, 2025
Rodolphe Barrangou
Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University
Talk: “Applications and implications of genome editing technologies”
October 28, 2024
Jonathan Pritchard
Professor of Genetics and Biology at Stanford University
Talk: “How GWAS and functional genomics provide insight into molecular pathways of human trait biology”
September 13, 2024
Rasmus Nielsen
Trevor J. McMinn Endowed Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California at Berkeley
Talk: “Human evolutionary adaptation – as revealed by our genomes”
March 15, 2024
Nathaniel Comfort
Professor in the Department of History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Talk: “Reflections on gender, science, and myth: A new look at Rosalind Franklin and DNA”
February 23, 2024
Karen Miga
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz and Associate Director of Human Pangenomics at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute
Talk: “Expanding studies of global genomic diversity with complete telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies”
January 19, 2024
Brenda Andrews
Canada Research Chair in Systems Genetics & Cell Biology in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto
Talk: “Mapping genetic networks using systematic genetics”
November 13, 2023
Tom Maniatis
Director of the Columbia University Precision Medicine Initiative and Scientific Director and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Genome Center at Columbia University
Talk: “The genomic organization and functions of large human gene clusters: β-globin and the clustered protocadherins”
October 2, 2023
Gene Robinson
University Swanlund Chair and Director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Talk: “Pillars of the social brain: Lessons from the honeybee”
September 15, 2023
Dr. Yoav Gilad
Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Section of Genetic Medicine, Vice Chair for Research, and Dean for Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Chicago
Talk: “No cell left behind: Using new in vitro system to study dynamic eQTLs in all cell types”
March 31, 2023
Evan Eichler
Professor of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington
Talk: “Complex structural variation in a complete human genome”
March 9, 2023
Venki Ramakrishnan
62nd President of the Royal Society of London, Nobel Laureate, University of Cambridge
Talk: “Gene Machine”
This was a Science and Music event, in which Dr. Ramakrishnan described his discovery of the structure of the ribosome which led to the Nobel prize in Chemistry, while his son, renowned cellist Raman Ramakrishnan, and concert pianist Benjamin Hochman performed works by Bach, Fauré and Chopin.
February 10, 2023
Adrian Bird
Buchanan Professor of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh
Talk: “Proteins that interpret genomic signals to stabilize cell identity”
January 27, 2023
David Threadgill
University Distinguished Professor, The Tom and Jean McMullin Chair of Genetics, and Director of the Texas A&M Institute for Genome Sciences and Society at Texas A&M
Talk: “The genetic complexity of the EGFR/ERBB signaling axis in colorectal cancer development and therapy”
October 10, 2022
Vivian Cheung
Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, and Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine
Talk: “An enhancer RNA that modifies susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease”
September 16, 2022
Aravinda Chakravarti
Muriel G. and George W. Singer Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Director of the Center for Human Genetics and Genomics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Talk: “Transcriptional enhancers and their phenotypic effects”
April 15, 2022
Wylie Burke
Professor and Former Chair, Department of Bioethics and Humanities, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of Washington; Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Talk: “Partnering with communities in genomic research”
March 4, 2022
Daniel Weinberger
Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University; Director and CEO, Lieber Institute for Brain Development
Talk: “Genomic insights into the developmental origins of behavioral disorders”
February 4, 2022
James Lupski
Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair in Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
Talk: “Biology in balance: human diploid genome integrity, gene dosage & genomic medicine”
November 5, 2021
Sarah Tishkoff
David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, Departments of Genetics and Biology, Perleman School of Medicine; Director, Penn Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity, University of Pennsylvania
Talk: “Genomic evolution and adaptation in Africa: Implications for health and disease”
October 8, 2021
Harmit Malik
Professor and Associate Director, Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Talk: “Rules of engagement: molecular arms races between host and viral genomes”
September 3, 2021
Avindra Nath
Clinical Director, Section of Infections of the Nervous System, Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Talk: “The role of endogenous retroviruses in neurodegeneration”
April 2, 2021
Teri Manolio
Director, Division of Genomic Medicine, National Human Genome Research Institute
Talk: “Implementing genomics in clinical care: Genomic medicine programs of the NHGRI”
March 12, 2021
Carole Ober
Bluem-Riese Professor and Chair, Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago
Talk: “Fine-mapping genetic risks in the HLA region for childhood onset and adult-onset asthma”
February 19, 2021
Arpana Agrawal
Professor of Psychiatry, Washington University St. Louis; Co-PI of Substance Use Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium
Talk: “Recent discoveries in genomic studies of substance use disorders”
Lunch and Learn Sessions
February 26, 2025
Frank Gyngard
Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Science Proposal Review Specialist
Talk: “Proposal Writing”
January 15, 2025
Peter Mathias
Senior Director of Development
Talk: “Navigating the Landscape of Corporate and Foundation Fundraising: Strategies for Impactful Partnerships”
October 2, 2024
Rhonda Shaner Ryals
Director Export Control and Research Security
Talk: “Foreign Influence and Export Security”
September 4, 2024
Shelby Carroll
Science Librarian
Talk: “Empowering Research: Library Services for Innovators”
April 4, 2024
Cynthia Young
Dean of the College of Science
Talk: “Leading Effective Teams in Science”
March 27, 2024
Windsor Sherrill
Associate Vice-President for Health Research
Talk: “Clemson’s Health Research: Opportunities for Strategic Growth”
February 21, 2024
Fred Gould
William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of the Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University
Talk: “Genetics and Society”
December 6, 2023
Feng Luo
Professor in the School of Computing and Engineering
Talk: “Benefits and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence”
October 25, 2023
Margaret Owens
Executive Director of Development
Talk: “Building Alumni Relations”
September 12, 2023
Tara Seefeldt
Education and Outreach Archivist and Professor of History
Talk: “History of Clemson University”
April 12, 2023
Amy Clarke Burns
Director of Communications and Marketing, College of Science
Talk: “The Conversation”
February 15, 2023
Tessa Byer
University Ombuds Consultant
Talk: “Healthy Conflict”
January 25, 2023
Megan Sheffield
Data Services Librarian
Talk: “New NIH Requirements for a Data Management Plan”
November 16, 2022
Renée Lyons
Director of Science Education Outreach
Talk: “K-12 Outreach”
October 12, 2022
Tanju Karanfil
Vice President of Research
Talk: “Mentoring Students”
September 19, 2022
Robert Anholt
Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry and Director of Faculty Excellence Initiatives, College of Science
Talk: “Predatory Journals”
March 16, 2022
Amy Lawton-Rauh
Senior Associate Provost
Talk: “Navigating Institutional Engagement as a Pre-Tenure Early Career Researcher/Scholar Building a High-Impact Sustainable Program”
February 23, 2022
Megan Sheffield
Data Services Librarian
Talk: “Data Visualization”
January 19, 2022
Stephen Creager
Associate Dean for Discovery, Graduate Education, Space Optimization and Faculty Affairs
Talk: “Structuring Productive Collaborations”
October 20, 2021
Cynthia Young
Dean of the College of Science
Talk: “Elements of Leadership”
September 14, 2021
Leta Tribble
Director of Education, Greenwood Genetic Center
Talk: “What Americans Know About Science”
August 25, 2021
Jerry Knighton
Associate Vice President and EEO Officer/Executive Director of Inclusive Procurement
Talk: “Civil Treatment”
April 21, 2021
Tan Davis
Human Resources Strategic Consultant
Talk: “Team Building”
March 31, 2021
Robert Anholt
Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry and Director of Faculty Excellence Initiatives, College of Science
Talk: “Navigating the NIH”
Annual Charles Darwin Lectures
February 12, 2025
Michael Purugganan
Silver Professor of Biology and Former Dean for Science, New York University
Talk: “Domestication and the Evolution of Crops”
February 12, 2024
Mohamed Noor
Executive Vice Provost and a Professor in the Biology Department at Duke University
Talk: “Using Science-Fiction Depictions to Teach Real-World Evolution Concepts”
February 13, 2023
Michael Lynch
Director of the Biodesign Institute for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Talk: “Drift, Mutation, and the Origin of Cellular Features”
February 11, 2022
Dolph Schluter, FRS
Professor of Evolutionary Biology and a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia
Talk: “The Modern Origin of Species”
February 12, 2021
Peter Grant, FRS and Rosemary Grant, FRS
Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology Emeritus and Senior Research Biologist Emerita in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Princeton University
Talk: “Darwin, Evolution and Finches”
February 12, 2020
William Kimler
Professor in the Department of History at North Carolina State University
Talk: “Darwin and the Origins of Holistic Science”
Let me know if you’d like this exported to a document or combined with the other lists.
Gregor Mendel Bicentennial Lecture
September 2, 2022
Daniel Fairbanks
Professor of Biology at Utah Valley University
Talk: “Gregor Mendel at the Bicentennial of his Birth: The Life and Legacy of a Scientific Genius”