Charles “Chip” Aquadro, the Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the 2022 Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) Lifetime Research Achievements Award in recognition of his decades of exceptional contributions to population genetics.

"This award is the highest honor given by SMBE and places Chip in the company of the greatest contemporary leaders in molecular evolution and evolutionary genetics," said Daniel A. Barbash, chair and professor of molecular biology and genetics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Aquadro holds a primary appointment in the the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a joint appointment in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Aquadro is a world leader in the study of population genetics of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. His research focuses on discovering basic principles that determine the amount of diversity that exists within and between the genomes of organisms; and how we can use that diversity to understand organismal evolution, to discover novel genes, to maximize human health and to advance agriculture.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.