Kevin Wei, PhD
Dr. Wei is an assistant professor in the Department of Zoology at The University of British Columbia. He received his PhD from Cornell University and postdoctoral training from the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Wei started his lab at UBC in 2023 and his research group uses genomics, population genetics, evolutionary, and developmental biology to decipher how selfish genetic elements like transposable elements and Mendelian cheaters drive the evolution of genome complexity (e.g. sex chromosome differentiation) and fundamental developmental processes (e.g. embryogenesis and meiotic recombination). Of particular interest is how such evolutionary processes lead to differences in aging between the sexes. Commonly seen across the tree of life, the sex with the heterogametic sex chromosome (e.g. the Y chromosome in humans) has shorter lifespan. On-going projects in the Wei lab seek to understand whether disproportionate amounts of selfish elements on the Y chromosome contributes to faster male aging.
Keywords: Genetics, genomics, Drosophila, evolution, sex chromosomes, transposable elements, meiotic recombination
email: wei.kevin@ubc.ca