The University of Arizona
Insect Science: the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program
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Vincent Martinson

Vince Martinson

Bio Sketch

Research Interests:

I am interested in bioprospecting, the search for novel genes that have applications in industry, agriculture, or pharmaceuticals. The microbial symbionts of insects are, specifically, where my bioprospecting interests lie. The high diversity and shear number of both insects and microbes in the world leads me to believe there are useful genes to be found. Using modern techniques to search the wide variety of insects for symbionts will unlock a relatively unexplored region of discovery. This area of science is constantly searching for bacteria and other organisms that contain unique genes/genomes. The search for novel organisms widens our view of the biodiversity on earth by expanding the database of genomes, another exciting side of bioprospecting research.

In addition to the intriguing products and biodiversity data created from research, I think bioprospecting is interesting in the way it gives back to the countries from which samples have been collected. This practice of sharing resources and scientific knowledge with the region responsible for the discovery will promote conservation of biodiversity.

Currently I am performing my rotations. With this opportunity to look into different labs I plan to explore several aspects that are part of the interdisciplinary field of bioprospecting in: biodiversity and its documentation, evolution of microbial symbionts, and the tools used for accessing the vast amount of data that is produced in genomics.