The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Max Price has pleasure in inviting you to

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Max Price has pleasure in inviting you to the Inaugural Lecture of

Professor Nicola Illing Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Faculty of Science Topic:

‘Evo-devo: Clues to morphological and functional diversity in bats and resurrection plants’

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 at 17h30 Lecture Theatre 1, Kramer Law Building Middle Campus University of Cape Town Admission: Free Guests to be seated by 17h15 Please RSVP by 12 October 2011 for catering purposes to: Michelle Moses Tel: 021 650 4870 • Fax: 021 650 5628 • Email: [email protected] For more information: http://www.uct.ac.za/calendar/events/seminars/?month=10

Professor Nicola Illing is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UCT. She has a multidisciplinary background, having graduated as a Chemical Engineer from UCT in 1983. After working at Shell SA for two years, she completed a MSc in Microbial Molecular Genetics at UCT in 1986, and a DPhil titled “Regulation of differential gene expression in the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis” at Oxford University in 1990. She was awarded an Oxford Blue for tennis at the same time. She returned to UCT as a postdoctoral fellow from 1991-1993, before accepting a lectureship in 1994 in the Department of Biochemistry. She became Head of Department of Biochemistry from 1998-2000 and continued this administrative role as the Head of the merged Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology from 2001 to 2003. Prof Illing has published 51 scientific papers, including several in prestigious journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, and Nature Cell Biology. She has an H-index of 23, and currently holds a NRF B3 rating. She remains sane by playing league tennis, aiming for a single figure golf handicap and taking on mountain bike challenges. Prof Illing will discuss her current research interests in Evolutionary and Developmental Genetics. Data from large scale sequencing projects in the last two decades has shown that common sets of genes regulate development in animals and plants respectively. Given the remarkable conservation of these genes, a key challenge becomes understanding how morphological diversity has evolved in plants and animals. Prof Illing will present evidence that novelty evolves from the recycling of existing genetic regulatory loops, rather than from the de novo appearance of new genes.

Prof. Nicola Illing Inaugural Lecture Reply Slip

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RSVP by 12 October 2011 to: Michelle Moses University of Cape Town Communication & Marketing Department La Grotta, Glendarrach Road Rondebosch. 7701 Tel: 021 650 4870 Fax: 021 650 5628 Email: [email protected]

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