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Craig Lowe

Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Overview


Craig Lowe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.  His research interests are in understanding how traits and characteristics of humans, and other vertebrates, are encoded in their genomes.  He is especially focused on adaptations and disease susceptibilities that are unique to humans.  To address these questions, Craig uses both computational and experimental approaches.  Craig's recent research has been on differences in how genes are regulated between species, or between different individuals within a species, and how this causes traits to differ.  All students in Craig's lab are exposed to an interdisciplinary environment; current lab members have backgrounds in mathematics, computer science, neuroscience, developmental biology, and genetics.  Each year Craig teaches one or two courses on rotating topics of: ancient DNA, ethical issues in genomics, and software development for genetic analyses.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology · 2018 - Present Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Basic Science Departments
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology · 2022 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2019 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published November 23, 2022
Human Evolution Wasn’t Just the Sheet Music, But How it Was Played
Published November 9, 2022
Mysterious Outbreak of Bone-Eating TB Resembled an Ancestral Form

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Recent Publications


Genome Sequence of a Marine Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Rabbit Slough in the Cook Inlet.

Journal Article G3 (Bethesda) · May 23, 2025 The Threespine Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is an emerging model system for understanding the genomic basis of vertebrate adaptation. A strength of the system is that marine populations have repeatedly colonized freshwater environments, serving as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Complete sequencing of ape genomes.

Journal Article Nature · May 2025 The most dynamic and repetitive regions of great ape genomes have traditionally been excluded from comparative studies1-3. Consequently, our understanding of the evolution of our species is incomplete. Here we present haplotype-resolved reference genomes a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Genome Sequence of a Marine Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Rabbit Slough in the Cook Inlet.

Journal Article bioRxiv · February 8, 2025 The Threespine Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is an emerging model system for understanding the genomic basis of vertebrate adaptation. A strength of the system is that marine populations have repeatedly colonized freshwater environments, serving as ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


SCA7 neurodegeneration: Molecular epigenetic basis and therapy

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of California - Irvine · 2024 - 2029

The Genetic Base of Bone Disease in Mycobacterial Infection

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · 2023 - 2028

Human splicing enhancers in evolution and disease

FellowshipConsultant · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, Santa Cruz · 2010 Ph.D.

External Links


Lab Website