Dr Chema Martin-Duran

Undergraduate Teaching

• Diversity and Ecology (SEF033)
• Animal and Plant Diversity (BIO211)
• Marine and Animal Diversity (BIO291)

Research

Research Interests:

Animals display an astonishing diversity of morphologies. However, nearly all animals originate during a process called embryogenesis, in which a single cell – the zygote – develops into a complex organism made of millions of cells. This is a stepwise process, where the zygote first divides and defines an initially small set of cells that act as progenitors of the wealth of cell types, tissues, and organs of adult animals. Changes in the specification of these progenitor cells can promote variation in adult morphology, and thus the evolution of the diversity of animal forms. But their misspecification might also dramatically compromise development and foetus survival. What controls how these initial progenitors form and develop into a muscle or a neuron, for instance? How do these mechanisms change over time? And how do changes in the early development of animals contribute to variation in their morphology and human pathogenesis? The Martin-Duran lab investigates how the early development of marine segmented worms can help us understand these fundamental biological questions.

See the Martin-Duran Lab website for more information on the research conducted in the lab.

Research department

• Biology

Publications

• Browse a list of publications by Dr Chema Martin-Duran
• See Dr Chema Martin-Duran’s Google Scholar profile
• See the Martin-Duran Lab publication list

Supervision

Current PhD opportunity

• Uncovering 3D genome architecture in annelid worms

PhD supervision

• Keroshini Guynes
• Francisco Martin Zamora
• Giacomo Moggioli
• Océane Seudre

Postdoctoral researchers

• Dr Yan Liang
• Dr Allan Carrillo-Baltodano