Kevin C. Keith, Ph.D.

1992-1999     UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, MCB Program 
                       Candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular and Cellular 
                       Biology Advisor: Molly Fitzgerald-Hayes, Ph. D.
                       Thesis: "Mutational analysis of the S. cerevisiae centromere-specific
                                     variant histone Cse4p and its functional relationship to the 
                                     mammalian centromere protein CENP-A"
                     Honors & Awards
                              Byron Award-Annual award for top dissertation in the 
                              Molecular and Cellular Biology Program at UMASS

1988-1992      Cornell College Mt Vernon, IA
                     Bachelor of Liberal Arts (Major in Biology)
                     Advisor: Craig Tepper, Ph. D.
                              Undergraduate Research: "Expression pattern of chalcone 
                              synthase in Phaseolus vulgaris upon H₂0₂ treatment"
                      Honors & Awards
                              Iowa Math and Science Scholarship
                              Cornell College Competitive Tuition and Science Scholarships
                              Tri-b Biology Honors Society (President Senior Year)
                              Miltonian Literary Society
                              Cornell College Deans List of Students

1999-present     THE University of Chicago Chicago, IL
                        Post-Doctoral Fellow
                         •Actively identifying DNA elements responsible for centromere 
                           function in Arabidopsis in the laboratory of Daphne Preuss.

1992-1999       UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Amherst, MA
                      Candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular and Cellular Biology
                         •Applied molecular biological, genetic, biochemical, and immunological
                          techniques to elucidate functional domains within the yeast centromere
                          protein Cse4p. Results showed how the histone H3-like histone fold 
                          domain of Cse4p interacts with the three Conserved DNA Elements at 
                          the yeast centromere in a modified nucleosome.
                         •Actively supervised and mentored graduate and undergraduate 
                          research projects.
                         •Student Representative, 
                          Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1996-99.
                         •President of the MCB Student Organization, 1993-1994.
                         •Student advisor to the Program Committee, MCB Program, 1997-99.

1993-1996       UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Amherst, MA
                       Research Associate, MCB Core Facility
                          •Responsible for running the Oligo Synthesis Facility.
                                  •Maintained and ran oligo synthesizer.
                                  •Responsible for handling orders and billing customers.
                                  •Responsible for ordering and stocking supplies.

1992-1993        UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Amherst, MA
                       Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Biology 100 and 101
                           •Developed, taught, and supervised laboratory exercises.
                           •Responsible for evaluation of students including final grades.

1990-1992        Cornell College Mt Vernon, IA
                       Work Study, Department of Biology
                           •Performed independent research on plant defense mechanisms.
                           •Developed and supervised laboratory courses in genetics, molecular
                            biology and developmental biology.

1990                Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
                        Summer Research Position, NSF Undergraduate Fellowship, 
                          Dept. of Chemistry
                          •Investigated charge transport and diffusion of inorganic salts in a 
                           polymeric electrolyte complex under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Lyons.

Stoler, S., Keith, K.C., Curnick, K.E., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. (1995). A mutation in CSE4, an essential gene encoding a novel chromatin-associated protein in yeast, causes chromosome nondisjunction and cell cycle arrest in mitosis. Genes and Development. 9, 573-586.

Keith, K.C., Baker, R.E., Chen, Y., Harris, K., Stoler, S., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. (1999). Analysis of primary structural determinants that distinguish the centromere-specific function of histone variant Cse4p from histone H3. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 9, 6130-6139.

Keith, K.C., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. (2000). CSE4 genetically interacts with the S. cerevisiae centromere DNA elements CDE I and CDE II but not CDE III: Implications for the path of the centromere DNA around a Cse4p variant nucleosome. Genetics, in press.

Chen, Y., Baker, R.E., Keith, K.C., Harris, K.,Stoler, S., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. (2000) The N-terminus of the centromere H3-like protein Cse4p performs an essential function distinct from that of the histone fold domain. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 20, 7037-7048.

DeFalco, C.D., Stoler, S., Layzer, J., Keith, K.C, Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. Characterization of SCM3, an essential dosage suppressor of the centromere-specific histone variant Cse4p. In preparation.

Copenhaver, G., Keith, K.C., Preuss, D. (2000) Tetrad analysis in higher plants: A budding technology. Plant Physiology, 124, 7-16.

Keith, K.C. Analysis of the Histone Fold Domain of the Centromere-Specific S. cerevisiae Histone Variant CSE4. Molecular and Cellular Biology Colloquium Series, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (1996).

Keith, K.C. Chromatin Structure of the Centromere in S. cerevisiae. Boston Area Yeast Meeting, The Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (1998).

Keith, K.C. Arabidopsis Centromeres: Minichromosome Analysis of Functional Centromere Domains. 11^th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, Madison, WI (2000).

Keith, K.C., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. Analysis of the Histone Fold Domain of the Yeast Centromere Specific Histone Variant Cse4p. FASEB Summer Conference: Yeast Chromosome Structure, Replication and Segregation, Snowmass, CO (1996).

Keith, K.C., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. Analysis of the Histone Fold Domain of the Yeast Centromere Specific Histone Variant Cse4p. Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting, Madison, WI (1996).

Keith, K.C., Baker, R., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. Analysis of the Histone Fold Domain of the Centromere-Specific S. cerevisiae Histone Variant Cse4p. Gordon Research Conference: Plasmid and Chromosome Dynamics, Plymouth, NH (1997).

Chen, Y., Keith, K.C., Baker, R., Fitzgerald-Hayes, M. Mutational Analysis of the S. cerevisiae Centromere Specific Histone Variant, Cse4p. FASEB Summer Conference: Yeast Chromosome Structure, Replication and Segregation, Snowmass, CO (1998).

Keith, K.C, Copenhaver, G., Luo, S., Preuss, D. Arabidopsis Centromeres: Minichromosome Analysis of Functional Centromere Domains. 11^th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, Madison, WI (2000).