Delaney Dann, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

805-756-0670
dcdann@calpoly.edu
33-365 office

language: English

Website

Education

B.S. Biology, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Ph.D. Biology, University of California, San Diego
Genetics Education & Community Engagement Fellow, National Institutes of Health & American Society of Human Genetics
 

Advising Interests

• MicroRNA regulation of gene expression
• Aging and stress resilience in C. elegans
• Influence of diet and exercise on aging 
• Science education, inclusive teaching and mentorship
• Science communication 

 

Research Interests

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short sequences of RNA that help cells fine-tune which genes are used. They don't make proteins themselves — instead, they work more like dimmer switches, helping a cell turn gene activity up or down at the right time and place. My lab uses Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny, transparent worm, to ask how miRNAs shape an animal's response to stress and influence healthy aging. We focus on miRNAs conserved from worms to humans, studying how they protect against age-related decline and disease-relevant pathways. Despite its size, C. elegans shares many core biological pathways with humans, giving us a powerful and tractable system for connecting changes in genes to changes in physiology and behavior.

Students in my lab will use genetics, molecular biology, genome engineering, microscopy, and bioinformatics to uncover new roles for miRNAs in stress resilience and healthy aging.

We are also engaged in science education research aimed at improving student learning, career outcomes, and science identity. Students interested in this area will help build curriculum and apply education research methods to explore how authentic research experiences and career development can be woven directly into coursework to make science learning more effective.

Publications

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38011256/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34351906/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31396626/