Professor of Biology
I study the evolution of genes and genomes with the broad aim of understanding the origins of biological diversity. My approach focuses on changes in the expression of genes using both empirical and computational approaches and spans scales of biological organization from single nucleotides through gene networks to entire genomes. At the finer end of this spectrum of scale, I am focusing on understanding the functional consequences and fitness components of specific genetic variants within regulatory sequences of several genes associated with ecologically relevant traits. At the other end of the scale, I am developing molecular and analytical methods to detect changes in gene function throughout entire genomes, including statistical frameworks for detecting natural selection on regulatory elements and empirical approaches to identify functional variation in transcriptional regulation. At intermediate scales, I am investigating functional variation within a dense gene network in the context of wild populations and natural perturbations. My research leverages the advantages of several different model systems, but primarily focuses on sea urchins and primates (including humans).
Appointments and Affiliations
- Professor of Biology
- Professor of Cell Biology
- Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
- Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
Contact Information
- Office Location: 125 Science Drive, 4104 French Family Science Center, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: +1 919 684 6696
- Email Address: gwray@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- B.S. College of William and Mary, 1981
- Ph.D. Duke University, 1987
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- AAAS Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2019
- Distinguished Visiting Professor. University of Miami. 2018
- Houpt Lecture in Genome Sciences. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2012
- Huck Lecture in Molecular Evolution. Pennsylvania State University. 2010
- Daniel Koshland Lecture. University of California at Berkeley. 2009
- Donald Abbott Lecture. Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Lab. 2004
- J. B. Johnson Lecture. Society for Neuroscience. 2001
- Young Investigator in Molecular Evolution. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 1995
- NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship. National Institutes of Health. 1988
- Graduate Research Fellowship. National Science Foundation. 1982
Courses Taught
- MGM 325: Current Technologies in Genomics and Precision Medicine
- BIOTRAIN 730: Data Visualization for Biomedical Sciences
- BIOLOGY 799: Internship
- BIOLOGY 790S: Special Topics Seminar
- BIOLOGY 724D-2: Foundations of Data Science for Biologists
- BIOLOGY 724D-1: Foundations of Data Science for Biologists
- BIOLOGY 493: Research Independent Study
- BIOLOGY 325: Current Technologies in Genomics and Precision Medicine
- BIOLOGY 293: Research Independent Study
- BIOLOGY 203L: Gateway to Biology: Molecular Biology, Genetics & Evolution
In the News
- Duke Starts Sequencing COVID Genes, Finds Two Known Variants (Mar 4, 2021)
- 'Silent' Mutations Gave the Coronavirus an Evolutionary Edge (Oct 15, 2020)
- What Made Humans 'the Fat Primate'? (Jun 26, 2019)
- Six From Duke Named Fellows of American Association for Advancement of Science …
- New Collaborative Seed Grant Program Gives Eight Awards (Mar 16, 2016)
- Gregory Wray: How humans evolved supersize brains (Nov 11, 2015 | Quanta Magazi…
- For evolving brains, a 'paleo' diet full of carbs (Aug 14, 2015 | The New York …
- Allen Song Named Interim Director of Brain Institute (Jun 26, 2015)
- Evolving a Bigger Brain With Human DNA (Feb 19, 2015)
- Duke Undergrads Sink Their Teeth into Evolution Research (Jun 16, 2014 | Duke R…
- Getting to the Root of Enamel Evolution (May 5, 2014)
- Duke Announces Reorganization of Genome Sciences (Mar 24, 2014)
- Stem Cells Might Tell Us Why Chimps Cant Blush (Jan 30, 2014 | Duke Research Bl…
Representative Publications
- Byrne, Maria, Demian Koop, Dario Strbenac, Paula Cisternas, Jean Yee Hwa Yang, Phillip L. Davidson, and Gregory Wray. “Transcriptomic analysis of Nodal - and BMP- associated genes during development to the juvenile seastar in Parvulastra exigua (Asterinidae).” Marine Genomics 59 (October 2021): 100857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2021.100857.
- Benito-Kwiecinski, Silvia, Stefano L. Giandomenico, Magdalena Sutcliffe, Erlend S. Riis, Paula Freire-Pritchett, Iva Kelava, Stephanie Wunderlich, et al. “An early cell shape transition drives evolutionary expansion of the human forebrain.” Cell 184, no. 8 (April 2021): 2084-2102.e19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.050.
- Markunas, Alexandra M., Perathu K. R. Manivannan, Jordan E. Ezekian, Agnim Agarwal, William Eisner, Katherina Alsina, Hugh D. Allen, et al. “TBX5-encoded T-box transcription factor 5 variant T223M is associated with long QT syndrome and pediatric sudden cardiac death.” Am J Med Genet A 185, no. 3 (March 2021): 923–29. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.62037.
- Song, Hao, Ximing Guo, Lina Sun, Qianghui Wang, Fengming Han, Haiyan Wang, Gregory A. Wray, et al. “The hard clam genome reveals massive expansion and diversification of inhibitors of apoptosis in Bivalvia.” BMC Biology 19, no. 1 (January 2021): 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-020-00943-9.