Investigator\, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor\, The Rockefeller University
Talk Title: Genetics o f brain pathways for vocal learning and spoken language
Abstract :
Hosts: Drs. Tychele Turner and Ting Wang
Host Comments: Dr. Erich Jarvis is an internationally recognized neuroscientist and geneticist whose research addresses one of th e most fascinating questions in modern biology: how genetic\, molecular\, a nd neural mechanisms give rise to the capacity for learned vocal communicat ion. A Professor at The Rockefeller University and an Investigator of the H oward Hughes Medical Institute\, Dr. Jarvis studies songbirds and other voc al-learning species to understand how the brain learns\, produces\, and mod ifies complex vocal behaviors. By integrating genetics\, genomics\, molecul ar biology\, neurobiology\, and behavior\, his laboratory has identified ge nes\, molecular pathways\, and specialized neural circuits associated with vocal learning and has uncovered striking parallels between the biological mechanisms underlying birdsong and human speech. These discoveries have pro vided important insights into how spoken language may have evolved and how genetic variation can influence the development and function of neural circ uits involved in speech and communication. Dr. Jarvis is also a prominent l eader in comparative and evolutionary genomics. His work has helped redefin e our understanding of avian evolution\, including through large-scale geno me sequencing efforts that have revealed relationships across major groups of birds and provided new perspectives on the independent evolution of voca l learning. He currently chairs the international Vertebrate Genomes Projec t\, a global initiative working to generate high-quality reference genomes for vertebrate species and create foundational resources for studying genom e evolution\, biodiversity\, and the genetic basis of species-specific trai ts. He has also contributed to efforts to build a more comprehensive human pangenome that better represents global human genetic diversity. Through th is remarkable combination of genetics\, genomics\, neuroscience\, and evolu tionary biology\, his research is expanding our understanding of how genome s shape brains\, how brains generate complex behaviors\, and how extraordin ary traits such as learned vocal communication emerge across evolution.
CATEGORIES:Fall 2026 LOCATION:Connor Auditorium GEO:38.635470;-90.262723 ORGANIZER;CN="Michelle Gibbs":MAILTO:gibbsm@wustl.edu URL;VALUE=URI:https://genetics.wustl.edu/events/event/erich-jarvis-2026/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20260308T080000 TZNAME:CDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR