Peter Keightley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Keightley
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Keightley in 2014
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Peter D. Keightley
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| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Awards | FRS (2014) |
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| Institutions | University of Edinburgh |
| Thesis | Studies of quantitative genetic variation (1989) |
| Doctoral advisor | William G. Hill, also influenced by Henrik Kacser |
Peter D. Keightley is a British scientist who studies genetics. He is a professor at the University of Edinburgh, where he teaches about how living things change over time. This field of study is called evolutionary genetics.
Studying to Become a Scientist
Peter Keightley went to the University of Edinburgh for his studies. In 1989, he earned his PhD degree there. His research focused on how much genetic variation exists in living things. His main teacher for this work was William G. Hill.
During his PhD studies, he also worked with another scientist, Henrik Kacser. They wrote an important paper together about genetic dominance. This is about how some traits are stronger than others when passed down.
What He Researches
Professor Keightley leads a special lab that studies evolutionary genetics. His team looks at how new changes in DNA (called mutations) affect living things. They study how these changes impact traits and how well an organism can survive.
His research explores how living things adapt and change over time. He does this by looking closely at the DNA of different species. He also studies the DNA within groups of the same species.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has helped fund Professor Keightley's important work.
Awards and Special Recognition
In 2014, Peter Keightley was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
His nomination said he is a top expert in evolutionary genetics. It mentioned his important work on how traits are passed down and how DNA changes over time. He combines different methods in his research, like using computer models, doing experiments, and analyzing DNA data.
His work has helped answer big questions in genetics and evolution. He is especially known for studying how new DNA changes affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce. This research has helped scientists better understand how often harmful changes happen in the entire set of genes of an organism.
