Bob Goldstein, PhD
Distinguished Professor
Areas of Interest
cell biology; developmental biology; genetics; biochemistry; biophysics; molecular biology; evolution; extremotolerance
About
- Department Affiliations:
- Biology
- Other UNC PhD Program Affiliations:
- Biology; Cancer Cell Biology; MiBio; Cellular Systems and Integrative Physiology
My Research
We are interested in understanding how cells develop into organisms. We love the nematode C. elegans, because it allows us to readily combine a great number of useful techniques, including techniques of cell biology, direct manipulation of cells, forward and reverse genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, and live imaging of cells and their dynamic, cytoskeletal components. Current work in the lab addresses several fundamental questions in cell and developmental biology — like how cells move to specific positions during development, how cells change shape, how developmental patterning mechanisms tell cell biological mechanisms what to do where and when, and how intercellular signals act to polarize cells.
We have also been developing a relative of C. elegans and Drosophila, a water bear (tardigrade), as an emerging model organism for studying how biological materials can survive unusual extremes.