Sample interview questions: What specific areas of genetics are you most interested in?
Sample answer:
- Population genetics: The study of genetic variation within populations and how it changes over time. This field investigates the forces that drive evolution, such as natural selection, genetic drift, and migration.
- Quantitative genetics: The study of the genetic basis of complex traits that are influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors. This field develops statistical methods to estimate the heritability of traits and to identify the genes that contribute to them.
- Molecular evolution: The study of the changes in DNA and protein sequences that occur over time. This field investigates the mechanisms that drive evolution at the molecular level, such as mutation, recombination, and natural selection.
- Genomics: The study of the complete set of genes in an organism. This field involves sequencing, assembling, and analyzing genome sequences to understand the structure and function of genomes.
- Epigenetics: The study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes in DNA sequence. This field investigates the mechanisms that regulate gene expression and how they are influenced by environmental factors.
- Medical genomics: The study of the genetic basis of human diseases. This field uses genomic technologies to identify disease-causing mutations, develop genetic tests, and… Read full answer