Conference: 2023 Molecular Mechanisms in Evolutions GRC and GRS: Genetic and Phenotypic Evolution at the Organismal, Cellular and Molecular Levels

Molecular biology and evolution are the two fundamental unifying principles of life on earth. It is only through the combination of knowledge from these two disciplines that we can (i) unravel how the molecular components of organisms allowed them to survive their past environments, (ii) understand the challenges imposed by present day ongoing evolution occurring in immune cells, cancer tissues or microbial populations, including pathogens, (iii) predict the future responses of organisms to climate changes and other human-driven current selective pressures. The 2023 Gordon Conference on Molecular Mechanisms in Evolution will assemble international experts in molecular, medical, and evolutionary biology to present the latest findings and diverse perspectives on the molecular basis of evolutionary change. This conference will provide an engaging atmosphere for open and creative discussions aimed at stimulating collaboration among the participants. Short talks and posters will provide young scientists and their ideas access to the opinions and suggestions of the more experienced scientists who are invited speakers and chairs. The conference program will cover a wide range of topics including: the evolution of proteins and RNAs, the evolution of mutation and recombination rates, non-genetic variation and inheritance, metabolic evolution, the making of complex traits. The principal goal of this GRC is to encourage and nurture a community of researchers, spanning several formal disciplines, with a shared interest in the molecular basis of evolutionary change across biological scales. Evolutionary scientists include ecologists, geneticists, evolutionary, cellular, and molecular biologists, as well as physicists, and applied mathematicians. With such a wide range of disciplines, it is important to provide an opportunity to experts in these diverse disciplines to appreciate the important discoveries and new technologies from across the breadth of evolutionary science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.