Before joining the faculty of University of Chicago, Professor Long earned a Ph.D. at University of California, Davis in 1992, and did postdoctoral work in genetics at Harvard University for four years. He studies how genes evolve. He uses experimental genomic technology and sophisticated computer software to compare and contrast thousands of genes at a time, ultimately finding how the forces of Darwinian evolution bring change to the smallest units of life. His discovery overturned a classic belief found in genetics and evolution textbooks since the 1930s. He has been interviewed by news media such as New York Times (1996), the Science (2000), and the Washington Times (2004). He won nationally prestigious scientific awards such as the National Science Foundation CAREER award (2003) and the Packard fellowship for Science and Engineering (1998). Funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health, his research team consists of postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. students and undergraduate students. More information can be found at

• http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20040202/01,
• http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2002/20020103-chromo4.html.