Associate Chair, Department of Genetics, and Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics, Stanford University and HudsonAlpha Visiting Investigator
Dr. Barsh is professor of genetics and pediatrics and associate chair of the Department of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a visiting investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute. Barsh received M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington; obtained postgraduate training at UC Los Angeles and UC San Francisco, and has been a member of the Stanford faculty for 18 years. His research program is focused on the genetic architecture of color variation in laboratory mice and in natural populations of mammals, including humans. His research accomplishments based on the application of mouse coat color genetics to basic problems in cell signaling, gene regulation, and human disease have been recognized by several awards, including the E Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research, and the Takeuchi and Seiji Awards from the International Society for Pigment Cell Research. He is also a former investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, director of the Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program, and deputy editor of PLoS Genetics.
Research interests:
- Forward genetic analysis of skin color and pigment-type switching in laboratory mice
- Biology of melanocortin signaling
- Genetic architecture of human pigmentary variation
- Biology and evolution of color patterns in mammals