John Abramyan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology
John Abramyan
College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
Natural Sciences
313-593-5477
114 Science Faculty Center | 4901 Evergreen Road | Dearborn, MI 48128

Teaching Areas:

Biological Sciences

Research Areas:

Evolutionary Biology, Genomics

Biography and Education

  • Ph.D., University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia
  • B.S., Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis

I would describe myself as a developmental biologist with an interest in understanding evolution at all levels of biological complexity. I use embryology, molecular biology and genomics to study the embryonic development of the vertebrate face. My research program has two main directions: the development of the mouth and nose; and the molecular evolution of tooth-specific genes. My Ph.D. thesis focused on the molecular mechanisms of sex-determination in cane toads. The diversity in my academic background strongly influences the research questions I pursue today.

Research Interests: Developmental biology (evolutionary developmental biology "evo–devo" ), gene and genome evolution

Selected Publications

  • Shaheen, J., Mudd, A. B., Diekwisch, T. G., & Abramyan, J. (2021). Pseudogenized amelogenin reveals early tooth loss in true toads (Anura: Bufonidae). Integrative and comparative biology, 61(5), 1933-1945.
  • Albawaneh, Z., Ali, R., & Abramyan, J. (2021). Novel insights into the development of the avian nasal cavity. The Anatomical Record, 304(2), 247-257.
  • Jomaa, J., Martínez-Vargas, J., Essaili, S., Haider, N., & Abramyan, J. (2020). Disconnect between the developing eye and craniofacial prominences in the avian embryo. Mechanisms of development, 161, 103596.