John Planz, PhD

My research interests are in the areas of molecular evolutionary genetics and population genetics, and their applications for studying species and community diversity. We have worked on a broad variety of topics from wildlife conservation genetics to human population diversity and microbiomes. Previous students have focused on Alzheimer’s disease and aging, exploring both genetic/energetics coordination and messaging through microRNA signaling and epigenetic controls.
Recently we have been using new nanopore sequencing technologies to inexpensively query DNA sequences in ways that conventional approaches cannot attempt, such as full gene haplotyping and directly assaying epigenetic modifications. I am currently evaluating the evolutionary processes underlying microsatellite diversity and beginning to look into the evaluation of microbiome community structure in permaculture settings.