Dr. David Anderson
Positions
Associate Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Contact information
Background
Educational Background
B.A. , McMaster University, 2006
B.S. , McMaster University, 2006
Doctor of Philosophy , University of Oregon, 2014
M.S. , McMaster University, 2008
Research
Areas of Research
I am interested in the intersection between molecular functions, biochemistry and evolution; basically, I want to know about the molecular mechanisms that underlie important evolutionary innovations. I am focused on the ways in which physical interactions between mutations at different sites (i.e. epistasis) govern the set of evolutionary pathways that are available to a given protein at a given point in its evolutionary history. To investigate this, I have developed a suite of different statistical analysis tools that estimate the effect of distinct mutations on a single quantitative function, which allows for the simultaneous assessment of potential molecular interactions between them.
Some examples of my projects include the functional origins of the methyl-parathion hydrolase (MPH) enzyme from its dihydrocoumarin hydrolase (DHC) ancestor, the mechanisms of incompatibility in a set of engineered phosphotriesterases, and the functional diversification of the steroid receptor DNA-binding domains. I am always open to applying these tools and approaches to new systems, and assessing how generally epistasis governs evolutionary trajectories.
I am also interested in curriculum development in both the fields of bioinformatics and precision health, and am actively engaged in designing, testing, delivering, and evaluating curricular innovation in those fields.
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| MDSC 201 LEC 01 01 | Applied Tools Bioinformatics | 2020 |
| MDSC 203 LEC 01 01 | Dev Health Research Literacy I | 2021 |
| MDSC 203 TUT 01 T01 | Dev Health Research Literacy I | 2020 |
| MDSC 301 LEC 01 01 | Bioinformatics | 2021 |
| MDSC 309 LEC 01 01 | Science and Politics | 2020 |
| MDSC 50788 LAB 09 B09 | Spec Prob in Medical Science | 2020 |
| MDSC 519 LEC 01 01 | Advanced Bioinformatics | 2020 |
| MDSC 523 LEC 01 01 | AI Applications in Health | 2020 |
| MDSC 708 LEC 01 01 | InterprofPsychosocialOncology | 2021 |
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