Molecular Labs
Example sample types worked on in the ICG labs.Daniel Kim/© AMNH
About
The Institute for Comparative Genomics (ICG) at the American Museum of Natural History is a core research facility housing three modern molecular laboratories. Research in these labs utilizes cutting edge genetic, genomic, and transcriptomic techniques and technologies to study a wide variety of taxa and systems while addressing questions of evolution, taxonomy, conservation, and ecology.
The Modern Molecular Labs support curators and their research teams across a wide range of departments. Researchers from Vertebrate Zoology study birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Researchers from Invertebrate Zoology study insects, arachnids, cnidarians, nudibranchs, marine mollusks, and single cell eukaryotes. The labs also support researchers from the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Anthropology and Objects Conservation, as well as students from the Richard Gilder Graduate School (RGGS) and the Student Research Mentorship Program (SRMP). Additionally, visiting scientists from many partner institutions and organizations, such as CUNY, CCNY, and Columbia University, utilize our facilities and resources.
Research conducted in the ICG Modern Molecular Labs utilize Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) applications, such as genotype by sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, shotgun sequencing, target capture, fluorescence in situ hybridization, de novo assembly, transcriptomics, and differential expression analyses, as well as traditional population genetics via Sanger sequencing. Examples of ongoing projects include phylogeography of winter stoneflies via anchored hybrid enrichment, evolution of nematocyst theft in nudibranchs via environmental DNA (eDNA) shotgun sequencing, and studying morphological and genomic aquatic adaptations in South American freshwater snakes via whole genome sequencing. Researchers isolate nucleic acids from a wide variety of tissue types, including historical, highly degraded, and environmental, and utilize both museum and field collections to answer research questions in evolutionary biology. Below you can find some of the most recent publications from our users:
What Do We Gain When Tolerating Loss? The Information Bottleneck Wrings Out Recombination.
A jumping terrestrial leech from Madagascar.
In addition to supporting researchers with their lab work, staff hosts monthly meetings to keep researchers up to date with new techniques and technologies, as well as regular workshops to train users in new methods. Additionally, staff are active in science outreach, including tours of the facilities, fundraising events, and guest speaking, and participate in education opportunities both within the Science community and with members of the public to increase science literacy and awareness.
Staff
- Scott Schaefer, Dean of Science for Collections, Curator, and Director, Institute of Comparative Genomics
- Melina Giakoumis, Associate Director, Institute for Comparative Genomics
- Mohammad Faiz, Assistant Director of Operations, Institute for Comparative Genomics
- Megan Wallace, Laboratory Manager, Institute for Comparative Genomics
- Laura Furtado, Laboratory Assistant, Institute for Comparative Genomics
The Modern Molecular Labs work in concert with the other ICG facilities. Specimens for lab work are often procured from the AMCC, and many AbLab users utilize the modern facilities for library preparation and quality control. Users of the Modern Molecular Labs also analyze and store sequencing data through the high performance clusters maintained by the Bioinformatics team. For more information, check out each facilities' page below!
Additional ICG Facilities
