Nicholas D. Testa

Postdoc with dual PhD in Integrative Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Behavior

Currently

I’m a Postdoctoral Researcher in Annalise Paaby’s lab in Georgia Tech’s Biological Sciences department. My work here concentrates on elicudating the genetic mechanisms that allow the development of stable phenotypes to drift over evolutionary time (a.k.a. Developmental System Drift).

Employment

2016-present Georgia Tech Postdoctoral Researcher

Education

2010-16 Michigan State University Dual PhD in Integrative Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Behavior (supervisors: Ian Dworkin and Alex Shingleton)

2005-10 University of Pittsburgh BA in Anthropology (Distinction)

Publications

  • Testa, N. D. & Dworkin, I. (2016). The sex-limited effects of mutations in the EGFR and TGF-β signaling pathways on shape and size sexual dimorphism and allometry in the Drosophila wing. Dev. Genes Evol.

  • Weigel, E. G.*, Testa, N. D.*, Peer, A., & Garnett, S. C. (2015). Context matters: sexual signaling loss in digital organisms. Ecology and Evolution, n/a–n/a.

  • Testa, N., Ghosh, S., & Shingleton, A. (2013). Sex-Specific Weight Loss Mediates Sexual Size Dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e58936.

  • Ghosh S., Testa N., Shingleton A. (2013) Temperature-size rule is mediated by thermal plasticity of critical size in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc R Soc B 280: 20130174.

Conference Presentations

  • Testa, N (May, 2017). The Shape of Things to Come: Developmental System Drift in Caenorhabditis Nematode Embryos. Talk, Atlanta Worm Club (Emory, Atlanta).

  • Testa, N (January, 2017). The Developmental and Molecular-Genetic Mechanisms of Sexual Size and Shape Dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster. Talk, Center for Integrated Genomics Seminar Series (Georgia Tech, Atlanta).

  • Testa, N (May, 2014). The Effects of Sex and Genetic Background on Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD) and Sexual Shape Dimorphism (SShD) of Drosophila Wings. Talk, ForBio Course on Geometric Morphometrics (University of Tromsø, Norway).

  • Testa, N (April, 2013). Keeping Males and Females the Right Size: The Developmental Basis of Sexual Size Dimorphism. Talk, EEBB Colloquium Series.

  • Testa, N., Ghosh-Modak, S., and A. Shingleton (July, 2012). Targets of Selection for Sexual Size Dimorphism in Drosophila. Talk, 2012 Society for the Study of Evolution Conference.

  • Testa, N., Ghosh-Modak, S., and A. Shingleton. (March, 2012). Keeping males and females the right size: A closer look at the mechanisms behind sexual size dimorphism. Poster presentation, 2012 Drosophila Research Conference.

  • Ghosh-Modak, S., Testa, N., and A. Shingleton. (March 2012). Critical Size Regulates Thermal Plasticity of Body Size in Drosophila. Poster presentation, 2012 Drosophila Research Conference.

Press/Public Communications

  • Press release about co-first authored paper, Loss of Species’ Sex Signals May Lead to Extinction. http://research.msu.edu/loss-of-species-sex-signals-may-lead-to-extinction/

  • My blog article on Understanding how males and females grow apart in BEACON news. http://beacon-center.org/blog/2014/06/09/beacon-researchers-at-work-understanding-how-males-and-females-grow-apart/

Funding Awards

2016 Dissertation Continuation Fellowship (MSU) – $1,800

2015 EEBB Summer Travel Fellowship (MSU) – $500

2014 EEBB Travel Fellowship (MSU) – $500

BEACON Travel Fellowship (MSU) – $400

2013 EEBB Summer Fellowship (MSU) – $1,800

2012 Shaver Fellowship Award (MSU) – $1,400

EEBB Travel Fellowship (MSU) – $400

2011 EEBB Summer Fellowship (MSU) – $1,800

Teaching Experience

Undergraduate Mentoring

I have been fortunate enough to work with many extremely talented undergraduate students in different capacities that range from basic animal husbandry training to performing core projects in the lab.

Teaching Courses

2016 spring Lab Coordinator/ Teaching Assistant and Lecture Consultant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2015 fall Teaching Assistant for ZOL408 – Histology

2015 summer Teaching Assistant for ZOL445 – Evolution (online)

2015 spring Lab Coordinator/ Teaching Assistant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2014 spring Lab Coordinator/ Teaching Assistant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2013 fall Teaching Assistant for ZOL320 – Developmental Biology of Vertebrates

2013 spring Lab Coordinator/ Teaching Assistant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2012 fall Teaching Assistant for ZOL320 – Developmental Biology of Vertebrates

2012 spring Teaching Assistant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2011 fall Teaching Assistant for ZOL320 – Developmental Biology of Vertebrates

2011 spring Teaching Assistant for ZOL328 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates

2010 fall Teaching Assistant for BS110 – Intro Bio: Organism and Population

Service

2014 Fall – 2015 Spring Zoology EvoDevo Faculty Search Committee

2013 Fall – 2014 Fall EEBB Seminar Helper

2012 Fall – 2013 Spring Graduate Affairs Committee

Current Research Collaborations

  • Samiksha Kaul, Annalise Paaby. Molecular evolution of par-gene network both within species (Caenorhabditis elegans) and across species (within the Caenorhabditis genus). Manuscript in early stages of preparation.

  • Weipeng Zhuo. Development of precision temperature controlling device for biological samples that is compatible with standard stereoscope configurations. Methods paper expected.

  • Shampa Ghosh, Alexander Shingleton and Will Pitchers. Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) of genes associated with thermal plasticity and sexual size dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster. Manuscript to be submitted soon.

Professional and Laboratory Skills

Professional

  • Unix shell (BASH)
  • R statistical software
  • R-shiny applications
  • complex statistical modeling
  • geometric morphometrics (analysis of shape)
  • Genome-Wide Association Studies
  • big data analysis
  • High-Performance Computing / cloud computing
  • Python
  • Machine Learning Techniques
  • Arduino coding (C++) and circuit design
  • Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood (PAML)
  • Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA5) software
  • Avida artificial life platform
  • website development (HTML, markdown)

    Laboratory

  • Advanced genetic crossing/manipulation
  • macro and micro dissection
  • DIC and confocal microscopy techniques
  • DNA extraction and cloning
  • PCR and associated primer development
  • in situ hybridization
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Primer Development
  • Drosophila husbandry
  • C. elegans husbandry
  • Husbandry of non-model (Caenorhabditid) organisms
  • Chick embryo explantation and fate mapping
  • Chick embryo basic developmental manipulation

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Research:

Department of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-present (research advisor: Annalise Paaby)

  • Elucidating the genetic mechanisms of Developmental System Drift (in Caenorhabditid nematodes).

    Graduate Research:

    Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, 2013-2016 (research advisor: Ian Dworkin)

  • Developmental and molecular genetic regulation of sexual size and shape dimorphism of wings in Drosophila melanogaster (from an evo-devo perspective).

    Graduate Research:

    Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, 2010-2016 (research advisor: Dr. Alex Shingleton)

  • Developmental and molecular genetic regulation of sexual size dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster (from an evo-devo perspective).
  • Developmental regulation of thermal plasticity of body size in Drosophila melanogaster
  • Coordinated growth of organs during development in Drosophila melanogaster.

    Undergraduate:

    Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, 2009-2010 (research advisors: Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and Dr. Michael Siegel)

  • Investigation of the human fossil record (Europe) via high resolution photographs; Interpreted perceived trends in morphology.
  • Lab Assistant in study of cranial synostosis in rabbits.