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For Release: March 13, 2009
Contact: dms.communications@dartmouth.edu, 603-650-1492

Genetics Society Honors Dartmouth Medical School Clockwork Researcher

Dr. Jay Dunlap
Dr. Jay Dunlap

Hanover, N.H.—Dartmouth Medical School geneticist Dr. Jay Dunlap has received the Genetics Society of America's 2009 George W. Beadle Medal for outstanding contributions to the genetics community. Dunlap, professor and chair of genetics, is recognized for his work on what makes cells tick and for his mentorship and service within genetics.

"This award is a tribute to Jay's pioneering studies on the circadian clock and...the first microbial clock gene to be cloned," according to the citation published in the March issue of Genetics. "During his time at Dartmouth Medical School, Jay has opened up the field of circadian molecular biology and biochemistry and developed the tools and intellectual framework for approaching mechanistic questions that relate to ... key observations of the clock."

This award is a tribute to Jay's pioneering studies on the circadian clock and...the first microbial clock gene to be cloned.

Genetics

Biological clocks are the cellular timekeepers of the circadian rhythm that paces life's daily ebb and flow. Using the fungus Neurospora crassa, better known as bread mold, Dunlap has helped tease apart the molecular gears that form the basis of most living clocks. He has discovered and cloned important clock genes and demonstrated how light and temperature cue the clock, often collaborating with colleague (and wife) Dr. Jennifer Loros, professor of biochemistry.

A member of DMS faculty since 1984, Dunlap has a BS from the University of Washington, and his PhD from Harvard.

He is the first Neurospora scientist to receive the George W. Beadle Medal, named for the Nobel Laureate who is best known for his work in Neurospora, the article points out. It is a fitting honor for "his ground-breaking research toward understanding the molecular mechanism of the circadian clock, again using the N. crassa system."

The award announcement is available here and also at Genetics Online.

-DMS-

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