Clinton Rice

Hometown:  West Des Moines, Iowa

Education

Ph.D., Biology - University of Iowa (2016)

Current Research: Septate junctions (SJs) maintain epithelial integrity in invertebrates by acting as a diffusion barrier between the apical and basal regions of these tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that the component proteins of SJs play key roles in certain morphogenetic processes prior to the assembly of mature SJs. My research focuses on the role of these proteins in Drosophila melanogaster morphogenesis, particularly how these proteins affect the biomechanical properties of membranes during dorsal closure.