Kenneth H. Wolfe

Wolfe was educated at Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded Bachelor of Arts degree in genetics in 1986Ken Wolfe's {{ORCID|0000-0003-4992-4979}} followed by a PhD in 1990 for research investigating synonymous substitution in vascular plants and mammals supervised by Paul M. Sharp.{{cite journal|last1=Sharp|first1=Paul M.|last2=Cowe|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Higgins|first3=Desmond G.|authorlink3=Desmond G. Higgins|last4=Shields|first4=Denis C.|last5=Wolfe|first5=Kenneth H.|last6=Wright|first6=Frank|title=Codon usage patterns in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens; a review of the considerable within-species diversity|journal=Nucleic Acids Research|volume=16|issue=17|year=1988|pages=8207–8211|issn=0305-1048|doi=10.1093/nar/16.17.8207|pmid=3138659 |pmc=338553}}

Wolfe's research focuses on comparative genomics, yeast genetics and bioinformatics.{{Google scholar id}}{{Scopus id}}{{cite journal|last1=Sherlock|first1=Gavin|last2=Schröder|first2=Markus S.|last3=Martinez de San Vicente|first3=Kontxi|last4=Prandini|first4=Tâmara H. R.|last5=Hammel|first5=Stephen|last6=Higgins|first6=Desmond G.|authorlink6=Desmond G. Higgins|last7=Bagagli|first7=Eduardo|last8=Wolfe|first8=Kenneth H.|last9=Butler|first9=Geraldine|title=Multiple Origins of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida orthopsilosis by Separate Hybridizations between Two Parental Species|journal=PLOS Genetics|volume=12|issue=11|year=2016|pages=e1006404|issn=1553-7404|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006404|pmid=27806045|pmc=5091853 |doi-access=free }} {{open access}} Work in his laboratory investigates the evolution of eukaryotic genomes and chromosome organisation. He is best known for his discovery that the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae underwent complete genome duplication about 100 million years ago, an event that is now known to be the result of hybridization between two divergent species. This finding reshaped our understanding both of yeast biology, and of mechanisms of genome evolution in eukaryotes. His subsequent discoveries of similar ancient genome duplications (paleopolyploidy) during human evolution, and in almost all families of flowering plants, led to the realisation that whole-genome duplication is widespread. His group also studies the origin and evolution of mating systems in yeasts, and the process of mating-type switching in which one cell type can change into another by moving or replacing a section of chromosome.

Wolfe was a postdoctoral researcher with Jeffrey D. Palmer at Indiana University Bloomington before returning to Ireland in 1992 to establish his research group in the genetics department of Trinity College Dublin,{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Genetics |title=Trinity College Dublin Genetics Department |website=www.tcd.ie}} where he remained for over 20 years. In 2013, he moved to University College Dublin's UCD School of Medicine and Conway Institute.{{cite web|url=https://people.ucd.ie/kenneth.wolfe |title=Ken Wolfe Profile |website=people.ucd.ie}} {{As of|2017}} his most highly cited peer reviewed papers have been published in leading scientific journals including Nature,{{cite journal|last2=Shields|first2=Denis C.|year=1997|title=Molecular evidence for an ancient duplication of the entire yeast genome|journal=Nature|volume=387|issue=6634|pages=708–713|doi=10.1038/42711|issn=0028-0836|pmid=9192896|last1=Wolfe|first1=Kenneth H.|bibcode=1997Natur.387..708W|s2cid=4307263|doi-access=free}} {{subscription required}}{{Cite journal | first1 = E. S.

| last1 = Lander

| authorlink1 = Eric Lander

| last2 = Linton | first2 = M.

| last3 = Birren | first3 = B.

| last4 = Nusbaum | first4 = C.

| last5 = Zody | first5 = C.

| last6 = Baldwin | first6 = J.

| last7 = Devon | first7 = K.

| last8 = Dewar | first8 = K.

| last9 = Doyle | first9 = M. | last10 = Fitzhugh | first10 = W. | last11 = Funke | first11 = R. | last12 = Gage | first12 = D. | last13 = Harris | first13 = K. | last14 = Heaford | first14 = A. | last15 = Howland | first15 = J. | last16 = Kann | first16 = L. | last17 = Lehoczky | first17 = J. | last18 = Levine | first18 = R. | last19 = McEwan | first19 = P. | last20 = McKernan | first20 = K. | last21 = Meldrim | first21 = J. | last22 = Mesirov | first22 = J. P. |authorlink22=Jill P. Mesirov| last23 = Miranda | first23 = C. | last24 = Morris | first24 = W. | last25 = Naylor | first25 = J. | last26 = Raymond | first26 = C. | last27 = Rosetti | first27 = M. | last28 = Santos | first28 = R. | last29 = Sheridan | first29 = A. | last30 = Sougnez | first30 = C. | display-authors = 29

| title = Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome

| journal = Nature

| hdl = 2027.42/62798

| volume = 409

| issue = 6822

| pages = 860–921

| year =2001

| issn = 0028-0836

| pmid = 11237011

| doi = 10.1038/35057062|bibcode = 2001Natur.409..860L | url = https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62798/1/409860a0.pdf| doi-access = free }} PNAS,{{cite journal|last1=Wolfe|first1=K. H.|last2=Li|first2=W. H.|last3=Sharp|first3=P. M.|title=Rates of nucleotide substitution vary greatly among plant mitochondrial, chloroplast, and nuclear DNAs.|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=84|issue=24|year=1987|pages=9054–9058|issn=0027-8424|doi=10.1073/pnas.84.24.9054|pmid=3480529|pmc=299690|bibcode=1987PNAS...84.9054W|doi-access=free}} The Plant Cell,{{cite journal|last2=Wolfe|year=2004|title=Widespread Paleopolyploidy in Model Plant Species Inferred from Age Distributions of Duplicate Genes|journal=The Plant Cell|volume=16|issue=7|pages=1667–1678|doi=10.1105/tpc.021345|issn=1040-4651|last1=Blanc|first1=Guillaume |first2=Kenneth H.| pmid=15208399 |pmc=514152 }}{{cite journal|last1=Blanc|first1=Guillaume |first2=Kenneth H.|last2=Wolfe|title=Functional Divergence of Duplicated Genes Formed by Polyploidy during Arabidopsis Evolution|journal=The Plant Cell|volume=16|issue=7|year=2004|pages=1679–1691|issn=1040-4651|doi=10.1105/tpc.021410|pmc=514153 |pmid= 15208398}} Genome Research{{cite journal|last1=Blanc|first1=G.|title=A Recent Polyploidy Superimposed on Older Large-Scale Duplications in the Arabidopsis Genome|journal=Genome Research|volume=13|issue=2|year=2003|pages=137–144|issn=1088-9051|doi=10.1101/gr.751803|pmid=12566392 |pmc=420368|first2=Karsten |last2=Hokamp|first3= Kenneth H. |last3=Wolfe }} and Nature Reviews Genetics.{{cite journal|last1=Wolfe|first1=Kenneth H.|title=Yesterday's polyploids and the mystery of diploidization|journal=Nature Reviews Genetics|volume=2|issue=5|year=2001|pages=333–341|issn=1471-0056|doi=10.1038/35072009|pmid= 11331899|s2cid=20796914}} {{subscription required}}

Former doctoral students from the Wolfe lab include Mario A. Fares, Aoife McLysaght, Kevin P. Byrne, Estelle Proux-Wéra and Cathal Seoighe.

Wolfe was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2017,{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/kenneth-wolfe-13436/ |title=Professor Kenneth Wolfe FRS |year=2017 |website=royalsociety.org |publisher=Royal Society |location=London |author=Anon |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505140928/https://royalsociety.org/people/kenneth-wolfe-13436/ |archive-date=2017-05-05 }} One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: {{blockquote|"All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License." --{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/ |title=Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies |access-date=2016-03-09 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111170346/https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/ |archive-date=2016-11-11 }}}} a member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA) in 2000 and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2010.{{cite web|author=Anon |year=2010 |url=http://people.embo.org/profile/kenneth-h-wolfe |location=Heidelberg |publisher=European Molecular Biology Organization |website=people.embo.org |title=EMBO member: Kenneth H. Wolfe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131223758/http://people.embo.org/profile/kenneth-h-wolfe |archive-date=2017-01-31 }} In 2011 he served as president of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (smbe.org).{{cite web|url=http://www.smbe.org/smbe/ABOUT/Council.aspx/|website=smbe.org|title=SMBE Council members|author=Anon|year=2017|access-date=2017-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010090458/http://www.smbe.org/smbe/ABOUT/Council.aspx|archive-date=2017-10-10|url-status=dead}}

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Category:Academics of Trinity College Dublin

Category:Academics of University College Dublin

Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization

Category:Members of the Royal Irish Academy

Category:Irish bioinformaticians

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:20th-century Irish mathematicians

Category:21st-century Irish mathematicians

Category:20th-century Irish biologists

Category:21st-century Irish biologists

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)