Genetics Prof. Carlos Bustamante, a newcomer to the University, has been named a 2010 MacArthur Fellow for his work in analyzing the patterns of DNA variation among populations to understand both evolutionary processes and the genetic basis of complex traits in humans, dogs, plants and pathogens. The $500,000 awards granted to Bustamante and 22 other winners will be given over five years for recipients to use however they see fit.
The MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant,” is a “no-strings-attached” award intended to stimulate creativity and progress. Fellows are chosen each year by an anonymous group that submits its recommendations to another anonymous selection committee. The committee then chooses 20 to 40 individuals in fields from science and education to art and social activism.
Having only received the news last week, Bustamante has not finalized his plans on how to spend the funds. One of his pet projects is expanding his study on medical and agricultural genomics in the Americas, a labor- and money-intensive project that the award could fund. Bustamante said he also would like to expand work on comparing the genomes of individuals in the Americas with and without disease, a task that is especially interesting to him because of these individuals’ “rich ancestry” of Native American, West African and European backgrounds.
“We have many projects that have been on the backburner that we can now bring to the forefront,” he told The Daily. “It’s not every day that you receive funds that allow you to take your research in any direction you want to go.”
Of these projects, Bustamante is most passionate about translating what he finds in his genetic studies into practical applications in agriculture and medicine in the Americas.
“I believe that genomics can play a key role in the development plans for developing countries,” Bustamante said. “If we can understand how genetic variation impacts traits in peoples, plants and pathogens as well as the role that diverse evolutionary forces have played, we are closer to realizing the promises of genomics to improve people’s lives.”
Bustamante arrived at Stanford in January 2010 and was previously a researcher at Cornell University.
Genetics Prof. Carlos Bustamante, a newcomer to the University, has been named a 2010 MacArthur Fellow for his work in analyzing the patterns of DNA variation among populations to understand both evolutionary processes and the genetic basis of complex traits in humans, dogs, plants and pathogens. The $500,000 awards granted to Bustamante and 22 other winners will be given over five years for recipients to use however they see fit.
The MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant,” is a “no-strings-attached” award intended to stimulate creativity and progress. Fellows are chosen each year by an anonymous group that submits its recommendations to another anonymous selection committee. The committee then chooses 20 to 40 individuals in fields from science and education to art and social activism.
Having only received the news last week, Bustamante has not finalized his plans on how to spend the funds. One of his pet projects is expanding his study on medical and agricultural genomics in the Americas, a labor- and money-intensive project that the award could fund. Bustamante said he also would like to expand work on comparing the genomes of individuals in the Americas with and without disease, a task that is especially interesting to him because of these individuals’ “rich ancestry” of Native American, West African and European backgrounds.
“We have many projects that have been on the backburner that we can now bring to the forefront,” he told The Daily. “It’s not every day that you receive funds that allow you to take your research in any direction you want to go.”
Of these projects, Bustamante is most passionate about translating what he finds in his genetic studies into practical applications in agriculture and medicine in the Americas.
“I believe that genomics can play a key role in the development plans for developing countries,” Bustamante said. “If we can understand how genetic variation impacts traits in peoples, plants and pathogens as well as the role that diverse evolutionary forces have played, we are closer to realizing the promises of genomics to improve people’s lives.”
Bustamante arrived at Stanford in January 2010 and was previously a researcher at Cornell University.