Casey Dunn
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caseywdunn.bsky.social
Casey Dunn
@caseywdunn.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist at Yale University. https://dunnlab.org
It has been wonderful to teach Invertebrate Zoology in the field - youtu.be/cPqdVsxsnSs?...
Serene Learning: Hands-on course on Horse Island
YouTube video by Yale University
youtu.be
October 27, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Interested in joining our lab (dunnlab.org) as a postdoc to work on siphonophores, processes that structure diversity in the open ocean, or natural history? If so, please reach out to discuss a nomination for the Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellowship - yibs.yale.edu/donnelley-fe...
The Dunn Lab
Casey Dunn's laboratory in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University.
dunnlab.org
September 11, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I hope to take a PhD student in 2026 to study siphonophores. Please reach out if you are interested in applying this fall. For examples of recent lab projects see www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... and academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
August 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
As the Gulf Stream carries man o’ war colonies north, winds push them on shore 🏖️, causing strandings along the U.S. East Coast - from Florida in the winter to New England in the summer.
August 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
Check out our preprint 🧪 on the origin & dispersal dynamics of a sailing ⛵ #siphonophore! We use #iNaturalist and particle tracking simulations to show that juvenile man o' war surface in the Gulf of Mexico & Straits of FL and disperse rapidly along the Gulf Stream 🌊

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From surfacing to stranding: The origins and dispersal dynamics of a neustonic siphonophore
The siphonophore Physalia physalis regularly strands along the US East Coast, yet the dynamics driving its seasonal and geographic distribution in this region remain poorly understood. Building on a n...
www.biorxiv.org
August 19, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Our new paper on structure and growth of Porpita porpita - rdcu.be/etcY6 . Like Velella and Physalia, this is a colonial cnidarian that floats at the surface of the Ocean. The whole colony arises form a single embryo through clonal growth that gives rise to many specialized bodies.
June 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
Excited to share our study on sailing siphonophores, AKA bluebottles or man-o'-war! 🌊 we received hundreds of samples from scientists around the world, part of a huge effort to sequence genomes and test for multiple species 🧬 out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... 🦑🧪📌
June 19, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I wrote this essay a few years ago with general background and advice for anyone applying to start a PhD in Biology - medium.com/@caseywdunn/... . If that is you, now is the time to start the process (reading literature, reaching out to possible advisors, ...) ahead of fall deadlines.
Applying to Biology PhD programs
Each year I advise undergraduate students who are applying to grad school, help evaluate grad school applications, and talk with…
medium.com
June 12, 2025 at 3:51 PM
I hope to take a PhD student in the coming application cycle. Please reach out if you are interested in joining our lab in EEB at Yale, especially if interested in working on the natural history/ phylogenetics/ morphology/ population biology/ development/ genomics of siphonophores. dunnlab.org
The Dunn Lab
Casey Dunn's laboratory in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University.
dunnlab.org
June 11, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
Postdoc job opportunity! We're looking for ECR in evolutionary genomics to study the relation between intra-specific gene expression variability, polymorphism, and macro-evolutionary rates. We have the data in 3 fishes & amphioxus, just waiting for your expertise and enthusiasm!
tinyurl.com/3aewk286
Opportunités de carrière : Postdoctoral position in evolutionary genomics (22280)
Saisissez une liste de termes, que nous allons rechercher dans le titre du poste et sa description. \nAstuces\xa0:\n\nNous rechercherons tous les mots figurant dans la recherche.\nLes r\xe9sultats…
tinyurl.com
May 13, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Our chromosome-scale genome assembly of Nanomia septata, a siphonophore - doi.org/10.1101/2025... . Much larger than many other cnidarian genomes, fewer chromosomes, and highly rearranged. No smoking gun for how they achieve complex colony-level organization. Great work Namrata Ahuja and friends!
May 13, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Yale Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is running an assistant professor search for a Global Change Ecologist - apply.interfolio.com/164677 . Please consider applying.
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
May 13, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
This paper provides now solid evidence that the xenacoelomorph male gonopore is homologous to the bilaterian hindgut.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The xenacoelomorph gonopore is homologous to the bilaterian anus
The bilaterian through gut with an anal opening is a key invention in animals, since it facilitates effective food processing, which allows animals to grow to a larger body size. However, because non-...
www.biorxiv.org
February 12, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
Even on a dive boat, sometimes the most spectacular displays are above water. This was from when @caseywdunn.bsky.social and I were on a small liveaboard off Komodo, Indonesia.
I like the offset paths of the double-flash on the right.
January 30, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Try our new in silico PCR (sPCR) tool sharkmer- github.com/caseywdunn/s.... You give it primers and fastq reads, it gives you sequences that would be amplified by PCR. Works in minutes on a laptop for high copy regions like rRNA, great for species id etc. Feedback welcome. #bioinformatics #ngs
GitHub - caseywdunn/sharkmer
Contribute to caseywdunn/sharkmer development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
January 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Casey Dunn
Recent PhD interested in deep-sea ecology, genomics, biochemistry, or bioluminescence? Apply for a postdoctoral fellowship at MBARI. Check out the sponsor list & e-mail me to discuss projects in my lab. Grad student position soon too.
www.mbari.org/about/careers/postdoc-fellowships/how-to-apply
September 28, 2023 at 2:20 PM