UF Genetics Institute and Graduate Program

✨ Big news! ✨

Congrats to Dr. Thomas P. Burris, Director of the UF Genetics Institute, on being elected to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL)!

His groundbreaking work in drug development is transforming treatment for heart disease, cancer, autoimmune, metabolic & neurodegenerative disorders.

👏 We’re proud to celebrate this incredible achievement!

Learn more: https://ufgi.ufl.edu/

Happy Thanksgiving from our UFGI family to you! 🧡

We are grateful for our students, faculty, and members who make UFGI what it is today.

Thankful for this year and all we have accomplished together.

Looking forward to 2026! 🔔

What an incredible Day 2 we had on Thursday at the 2025 Florida Genetics Symposium!

Now that the week has wrapped up, we’re still thinking about the breakthroughs, the collaborations, and the energy in every session.

From plant development and immune signaling to DNA repair, microbial dynamics, and viral regulation, Thursday’s speakers delivered powerful science that pushed the conversation forward. The poster sessions were packed, the questions were sharp, and the exchange of ideas reminded us why this community is so special.

Thank you to every presenter, student, faculty member, and attendee who made Day 2 a highlight of the symposium.

If you enjoyed following along, make sure to follow us for updates, planning for the 2026 Symposium is already in motion, and you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.

Advancing discovery. Strengthening community. See you next year 📣🗓

Thank you Dr. Kenneth Birnbaum, Dr. Nian Wang, Dr. Michelle Facette, Dr. Wilfred Vermerris, Dr. Buck Samuel, Dr. Sumita Bhaduri-McIntosh, Dr. Manuela Raffatellu, and Dr. Rolf Renne for contributing to an outstanding second day of the symposium.

Day 1 of the Florida Genetics Symposium was AMAZING! 🔬

Our speakers shared powerful insights and groundbreaking research all day long. Here’s a look back at yesterday’s sessions:

✅ Adapting to Metabolic Stress — Dr. Alan Saltiel
✅ Exercise Meets the Circadian Clock: Coordinated Partners for Better Health — Dr. Karyn Esser
✅ Cracking the SAM Code: Methylation’s Impact on Stress and Aging — Dr. Amy Walker
✅ Natural REV-ERB Ligands: Hormonal Control of the Molecular Clock — Dr. Tom Burris
✅ Poster Session 1 and Reception featuring incredible student and trainee research
✅ Keynote: Nuclear Receptors at the Crossroads of Metabolism, Physiology, and Disease — Dr. Ronald Evans

It was an inspiring first day full of learning, collaboration, and cutting-edge science! 🙌

You don’t want to miss Day 2!

You’re right on time to join us at the Straughn Center for another exciting lineup of talks and presentations. See you soon!

Our Poster Session 1 is happening right now! The Symposium has been an amazing experience hearing from our students and their incredible research. You don’t want to miss it!

If you can, drop a comment to say hi to our students and cheer them on — they’ve all done an outstanding job! 🙌

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Poster Session 2!👀

Predicting disease outbreaks before they happen! 📊

Dr. Robert P. Guralnick, UFGI member and Curator of Biodiversity Informatics at the Florida Museum, is part of a groundbreaking team that can now forecast West Nile virus outbreaks up to six months in advance.

Dr. Guralnick's data science expertise was crucial. He helped digitize decades of paper records that had nearly been lost in a flood, transforming them into the foundation for a predictive model that could shift disease prevention from reactive to proactive.

Read the full story: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/disease-experts-team-up-with-florida-museum-of-natural-history-to-create-a-forecast-for-west-nile-virus/?j=1932666&sfmc_sub=210167057&l=272_HTML&u=83473013&mid=518003454&jb=2002

UFGI SYMPOSIUM 2025! REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 🧬

The Florida Genetics Symposium, hosted by the University of Florida Genetics Institute, attracts genetics and genomics researchers, students, and industries from across the world. Speakers from a variety of institutions will present and discuss genetics and genomics topics, organized into three sessions: Metabolic Regulation (Gene Expression), Gene Editing (Plants), and Microbial Genetics.

📅 Event Schedule:
• Nov. 5: 12:30 PM – 6:15 PM
• Nov. 6: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

The UF Genetics Institute looks forward to welcoming you to the Florida Genetics Symposium 2025!

🔗 SIGN UP ON THE LINK IN BIO OR THROUGH OUR WEBSITE!

We can't wait to see you there!

🔬🧠 Meet Juan Arboleda!
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Our latest UFGI blog post features Juan, a 6th-year PhD candidate in the Genetics & Genomics program whose work bridges the lab bench and the broader community. From researching myotonic dystrophy to co-founding a student organization and hosting a neuroscience podcast in Spanish, Juan is redefining what it means to be a researcher.⁠
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Read the full story at the link in bio! 💻✨
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🎉 Congratulations to the UFGI Community! 🎉

Despite the challenges facing the grant landscape in FY2025, our faculty rose to the occasion with exceptional dedication and innovation. We're proud to celebrate some incredible milestones:

- Faculty members grew from 206 to 219
- Sponsored research funding increased from $80M to $93M
- Patents filed rose from 61 to 74
- Published articles climbed from 803 to 853

Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to advancing science and discovery are truly inspiring.

Here's to continued success and impact in the years ahead! 💪🧬📄

📢 Big news! The UF Genetics Institute has been awarded a prestigious NIH T32 Training Grant to support doctoral education in genetics and genomics. Led by Dr. Thomas Burris, this program will prepare the next generation of biomedical scientists through top-tier research, mentorship, and training. 🎓

Click on the link in bio for more!

Why UFGI? Find out 🧬

Let’s celebrate Dr. Byrne’s accomplishment and the vital work happening in Gainesville. Share your congratulations in the comments—and Go Gators! 🐊