Susan K. Dutcher

Professor of Genetics. Molecular geneticist who used model green alga to understand role of basal body as a template and docking site for ciliary/flagellar functions. Discovered genes for two tubulin superfamily members and used them to elucidate differences between old and new basal bodies. Used whole-genome comparative approach to identify 240 new candidate ciliary and basal body proteins, and established their utility for understanding human genetic diseases. Discovered basis for Bardet-Biedl Syndrome and found that the Bbs family of proteins function specifically in sensory cilia to mediate a variety of environmental signals.