John Burns, PhD

Research Interests

I work in a variety of biological systems at the interface of molecular biology and bioinformatics. My deepest interests involve discovering how single celled organisms genetically encode their variety of forms and shapes and how those forms influence their ecosystem functions. I also have strong interests in the characterization of symbiotic interactions where two or more organisms have an intimate association.

My study systems include rhizarians and their symbionts; silica depositing microbes like radiolarians and testate amoebae; a salamander-alga symbiosis that occurs in the eggs of the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, each spring; and diverse genomic space where I use biological knowledge to forge genome to phenotype links.

Protist Systems:

https://www.protistsystems.com/

Video Link about salamander-alga project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV9Z-pHr-nE

Google Scholar link:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DHoJBCAAAAAJ&hl=en

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2348-8438