I leverage several different computational genomic techniques and methods to understand the molecular drivers of phenotypic variation.
Contact
Professional Positions
University of Texas, Arlington
Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant
Laboratory instructor for undergraduate courses Cell and Molecular Biology (BIOL 1441) and Evolution and Ecology (BIOL 1442).
Education
University of Toronto
Publications
Single-cell resolution of intestinal regeneration in pythons without crypts illuminates conserved vertebrate regenerative mechanisms
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Westfall A.K., S.S. Gopalan, J.C. Kay, T.S. Tippetts, M.B. Cervantes, K. Lackey, S.M. Chowdhury, M.W. Pellegrino, and T.A. Castoe.
Diverse gene regulatory mechanisms alter rattlesnake venom gene expression at fine evolutionary scales
Genome Biology and Evolution
Gopalan, S.S., B.W. Perry, Y.Z. Francioli, D.R. Schield, H.D. Guss, J.M. Bernstein, K. Ballard, C.F. Smith, A.J. Saviola, R.H. Adams, S.P. Mackessy, and T.A. Castoe.
Single-cell heterogeneity in snake venom expression is hardwired by co-option of regulators from progressively activated pathways
Genome Biology and Evolution
Westfall, A.K.*, Gopalan, S.S.*, B.W. Perry, R.H. Adams, A.J. Saviola, S.P. Mackessy, and T.A. Castoe. [*joint first authors]
The roles of balancing selection and recombination in the evolution of rattlesnake venom
Nature Ecology and Evolution
Schield, D.R., B.W. Perry, R.H. Adams, M.L. Holding, Z.L. Nikolakis, S.S. Gopalan, C.F. Smith, J.M. Parker, J.M. Meik, S.P. Mackessy, and T.A. Castoe.
Origins, genomic structure and copy number variation of snake venom myotoxins
Toxicon
Gopalan, S.S., B.W. Perry, D.R. Schield, C.F. Smith, S.P. Mackessy, and T.A. Castoe.
Snake venom gene expression is coordinated by novel regulatory architecture and the integration of multiple coopted vertebrate pathways
Genome Research
Perry, B.W., S.S Gopalan, G.I.M. Pasquesi, D.R. Schield, A.K. Westfall, C.F. Smith, I. Koludarov, P.T. Chippindale, M.K. Pellegrino, E.B. Chuong, S.P. Mackessy, and T.A. Castoe.