MLK Scholar Presentation: Brandon Ogbunu

"Living, loving, and landscapes: How the science of evolution helps me navigate it all" with Brandon Ogbunu

Professor Brandon Ogbunu discusses how evolution is an algorithm that describes how nature innovates and explores possibility. He will use examples from his research program in the evolution of biomolecules and diseases, coupled with life lessons and experiences.

This event is hybrid. Please choose your ticket accordingly. 
Register here.

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Brandon Ogbunu

Hosted by: Professor Matthew Shoulders, MIT Department of Chemistry

C. Brandon Ogbunu is Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research takes place at the intersection of evolutionary biology, genetics, and epidemiology. He uses experimental evolution, mathematical modeling, and computational biology to better understand the underlying causes and consequences of disease, across scales: from the biophysics of proteins involved in drug resistance to the social determinants driving epidemics at the population level. In doing so, he aims to develop theory that enriches our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological underpinnings of disease, while contributing to practical solutions for clinical medicine and public health. He completed his PhD at Yale University in 2010 and postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University and the Broad Institute. He has been the recipient of the UNCF-Merck, the Broad Institute Diversity Fellowship and the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He previously served two years on the faculty at Brown University and is a former visiting research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.