Stuart J Macdonald

My principal research interest is in understanding the genetic basis of complex, polygenic trait variation. Over my career I have studied a range of traits in Drosophila, most recently focusing on responses to toxin exposure. By emphasizing a systems genetics approach, and integrating a diverse array of experimental and computational tools, my group uncovers the pathways, genes, and variants that contribute to trait variation.

I earned my undergraduate (1997) and graduate degrees (2000) at the University of Oxford in the UK. Following a brief period at University College London, in 2001 I moved to the University of California, Irvine to work with Dr. Tony Long, and in 2006 I started my faculty position at KU.

I am currently a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences, am a member of the KU Center for Genomics, serve as Director of the K-INBRE Data Science Core at KU, and am one of the PIs for the IRACDA at KU Postdoctoral Training program.