University of Pittsburgh
header image
Home › People › Faculty ›

Vaughn S. Cooper, PhD








				

		Dr. Vaughn Cooper	
		

		    	
        
Contact
        
	
					

			vaughn.cooper@pitt.edu	
			

		
					

			412-624-1265	
			

			
        		

		Fax: 412-624-8997	
		

		
		
					
425 Bridgeside Point 2
450 Technology Dr  
		
        
                
        







	

	
Education
PhD in Zoology/Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Michigan State University, 2000
AB magna cum laude, Biology, Amherst College, 1994
	



    










Research
Research goals
 
     
  1. To understand how bacteria adapt to new environments and/or cause disease. Biofilm-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance are our primary focus. We conduct high-throughput genomic analysis to identify adaptations within experimentally evolved populations and longitudinal studies of infectious isolates. These adaptive mechanisms point the way towards novel therapeutics. 
    2.  
  2. To advance understanding of evolutionary dynamics in structured communities, relevant to biofilms, solid tumors, and the origins of multicellularity.
    3.  
  3. To explore variation in genome evolutionary rates associated with replication timing to improve genome legibility, understand speciation, and to guide more rational treatment of disease states
    4.  
  4. To propagate experimental evolution as a both a) a nuanced screen for gain-of-function mutations and b) a method of active learning by students of all ages



















Publications
	

	
Flynn K.M, Dowell G, Johnson T.M, Koestler B.J, Waters C.M. and Cooper V.S. The evolution of ecological diversity in biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by altered cyclic diguanylate signaling. J Bacteriol.  |  View Abstract
Dillon M.M, Sung W, Lynch M. and Cooper V.S. The Rate and Molecular Spectrum of Spontaneous Mutations in the GC-Rich Multichromosome Genome of Burkholderia cenocepacia. Genetics. 200: 935-946. |  View Abstract
Traverse C.C, Mayo-Smith L.M, Poltak S.R. and Cooper V.S. Tangled bank of experimentally evolved Burkholderia biofilms reflects selection during chronic infections. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 110: E250-E259. |  View Abstract
Flynn K.M, Cooper T.F, Moore F.B. and Cooper V.S. The environment affects epistatic interactions to alter the topology of an empirical fitness landscape. PLoS Genet. 9: e1003426.  |  View Abstract
Poltak S.R. and Cooper V.S. Ecological succession in long-term experimentally evolved biofilms produces synergistic communities. ISME J. 5: 369-378. |  View Abstract
Cooper VS, Vohr SH, Wrocklage S.C. and Hatcher P.J. Why genes evolve faster on secondary chromosomes in bacteria. PLoS Comput Biol. 6: e1000732. |  View Abstract
Cooper V.S. and Lenski R.E. The population genetics of ecological specialization in evolving Escherichia coli populations. Nature. 407: 736-739. |  View Abstract