About

Daniel DeWitt Brown, Ph.D.

You can contact me at Daniel [dot] Brown [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Prints of my recent works are available in my Zazzle and RedBubble stores.

About Me

Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent thinking I would someday be an artist of some sort. Then I had two amazing teachers in biology who set me squarely on the path to becoming a scientist. After many many years of studying and training, I finally ended up with a PhD after studying the genetics of heart development. I have since studied various biological systems at several different institutions. I am currently a research scientist for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Art

All of my current work revolves around 3D digital work exclusively using the free and opensource Blender 3D modeling and animation software and GIMP, which is similar to photoshop, but free.

I am currently working on my Ocean Invasion series, and I have a large number of works in the series sketched out. I imagine it will take me quite some time to finish them all, as all of my art is done in my free time.

My most recent works are available as prints in my Zazzle and RedBubble shops. If you see something else on this site that you’d like printed and it’s not in the shop, I would be happy to arrange it.

Science

I recently finished a post-doctoral position at Carnegie Mellon University in the lab of Dr. Veronica Hinman, where I studied the evolution of gene regulatory networks in organismal development (using sea stars and urchins as a model).  I was formerly a post-doc at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, working in the lab of Dr. Perry Blackshear where I studied the biology and genetics of brain development and function. I earned a BA in biology from Hendrix College and a PhD in the Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the lab of Dr. Frank Conlon.

I also love talking, thinking, and writing about evolution. In this capacity, I created the Carnival of Evolution, a blog carnival devoted to the science of evolution. I have since passed the organization of the Carnival into much better hands: Björn Östman of Pleiotropy.

Personal Life

My wife is a clinical psychology Ph.D. student in her final year.

We have three awesome cats (Miles, Nina, and Dizzy – all named after famous Jazz musicians). Interesting side note: AFTER we named Dizzy, he became epileptic with full Gran Mal seizures. He is particularly prone to seizing if he is spun and made dizzy – as I discovered the hard way. Shoulda named him “Lucky” or “Perfectly Normal Brained Kitty”. He has been on phenobarbitol twice a day every day for over 5 years. Also, his two siblings at the animal shelter had polydactyly (6 toes). Both of our other cats are normal.

Disclaimer

The opinions and statements expressed on this blog are mine alone. They do not reflect the positions of any institution or organization with which I am affiliated. I reserve the right to delete any comment or ban any commenter for any reason whatsoever. Please direct any questions or comments directly to Daniel [dot] Brown [at] yahoo [dot] com.