Here I have a brief description of my research interests here in the Megason Lab at Harvard Systems Biology.
 

What is Systems Biology?

    Systems biology is the quantitative study of the fundamental principles of operation of biological systems.  This is accomplished through the combination of techniques from a variety of disciplines, such as Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics.  This interdisciplinary approach allows us to study not just individual proteins or cells in isolation, but the analyze and understand how the connections between protein, gene, and cellular networks generate the emergent phenomena observed in biology.  It also allows us to develop computational models of how these systems function, much like circuit diagrams or physics simulations, so that predictions about biological function and avenues of new research can be explored rapidly.
 

Fin Regeneration in Zebrafish

In my research, I work on Zebrafish, which are small striped aquarium fish:

Image Source: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/wiki/File:Zebrafisch.jpg

    My primary research interest is to understand how regeneration functions: how it is initiated, how the regenerating tissue achieves the correct size and shape, and how it is terminated.  To understand these questions, I am working on understanding these mechanisms of control in Zebrafish fin regeneration.  Zebrafish are particularly suited for this study as they have the ability to regenerate a wide variety of tissues including their fins, heart, spinal cord, retina, optic nerve, and ear sensory cells.  A secondary interest in regeneration is also to determine where the regenerated cells arise from, what cell types they form, and what dynamic behaviors they exhibit (such as division rate, localization, etc.).  The primary technology I am utilizing is quantitative high-resolution imaging, which allows for exact cell tracking and mapping of a regenerating fin, as Zebrafish are nearly entirely transparent during their development.  These experiments will hopefully give us insight into not only the basic questions of how regeneration functions, but also help in developing future regenerative therapies in humans to repair damage from injury, disease, or aging.

You can also read a little about my previous undergraduate research in the About Me section.
 

General Research Tool Links

Jane - Journal/Author Name Estimator
    An interesting text-heuristic article search engine, which makes a good complement to PubMed.

BioNumbers
    A catalog of numbers about biology, such as the number of mRNA transcripts per cell, or the diffusion constant of a given protein.  Especially useful for quantitative biology, but still a work in progress.

iGEM - International Genetically Engineering Machine competition
    International competition where teams of undergraduates work on a synthetic biology project, and present their results at a conference at MIT.  I was on the 2007 Berkeley iGEM Team, and would certainly recommend it to any undergraduates either interested in synthetic biology, or wanting a good introduction to wet-lab research.
 

Zebrafish Research Tool Links

ZFIN
    General database for zebrafish information including: genes, alleles, journal articles, mutants, and much more.

Ensembl Zebrafish Genome
    Genomics tool, great for searching for sequences, looking up genes, etc. This link is to the zebrafish page, but Ensembl has many other genomes as well.