January 15th, 2007, Dr. Martha Merrow

January 15th, 2007

Dr. Martha Merrow

Title: "The Daily Biological Clock is a Fundamental Property of 'the Nature of Life': molecular and behavioural timing in organisms from all phyla"

Summary

Circadian biological clocks regulate processes from gene expression to behaviour in organisms from all phyla.  They rule our lives.  Inspection of molecular mechanisms in model genetic systems reveals common properties that are involved in all of these systems, despite distinct genetic components.  We will review circadian behaviour in organisms from humans to prokaryotes, and discuss unifying mechanistic principles.

Academic Employment

• 1991-1996. Research Associate (Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School)
• 1996-2002. Scientific Staff (Working group Chronobiologie, Institut für Medizinische Psychologie, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich)
• 2002-2004. Associate Professor (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich)
• 2004- Rosalind Franklin Research Fellow (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
• 2006- Professor of Molecular and Genetic Chronobiology(Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) 

Awards and Distinctions

• 1988. Charlton Lecture Scientific Research Competition, 2nd Prize, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences
• 1996-1998. Stipendiat of the Dr.-Meyer-Struckmann-Stiftung
• 1999-2000. Stipendiat of the Deutsche Forschungs Gesellschaft
• 2004. Aschoff’s Rule’ Prize for research in Chronobiology (SRBR meeting, Whistler, Canada
• 2004. Rosalind Franklin Research Fellowship, Rijkuniversiteit  Groningen
• 2005. VICI award, NWO

 
Networks2003  

• EuroNeuro 2003 (Organizer), an adhoc, international consortium of scientists collecting wild type Neurospora across Europe

2005-2009

• Deputy Coordinator of EUCLOCK, a EU 6th Framework Integrated Project composed of 34 principal investigators 

Teaching

• 1996-present. Erasmus Socrates or European (EUCLOCK) Summer School for Chronobiology
• 1997-present. Instructor, Medical Psychology (medical students; Seminar course and Lecture)
• 2000-2004. Medical Psychology, Doctoral Student seminar (Ph.D.  students)
• 2003. Indian Summer School for Chronobiology (Ph.D. students)
• 2003. University of Regensburg Summer School, Graduierten  Kolleg ‚Sensory photoreceptors in natural and artificial systems’ (Ph.D. students)
• 2003. Technische Universität, Darmstadt Summer School, Graduierten Kolleg ‚Communication in Biological Systems: From the Molecule to the Organism in its Environment’  (Ph.D. students)
• 2003-2004. Tutor, pre-clinical Neurology ‘NERV’ (medical students)
• 2005-present. 'Evolution and Behaviour' Praktikum (undergraduate students)
• 2005-present. 'Chronobiology' lectures (undergraduate students)
• 2005-present. Chronobiology praktikum (undergraduate students)
• 2005-present. 'Genes, Brain and Behaviour' lectures  (masters students)
• 2005-present. 'Timing of Behaviour' lectures (masters students)
• 2006-2007. 'Genes and Behaviour' (3rd year undergraduate students) University of  Groningen
• 2006. Cell Biology (special guest lecturer on plant and fungal environmental  sensing) Temesek Institute for Cell Biology, Singapore
• 2007. 'Genetic model organisms: C.elegans' (undergraduate  students) University of Padua
• 2007. 'Genes and Behaviour' (2rd year undergraduate students) University of Groningen

Publications

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