Tropical Marine Science Institute
National University of Singapore
18 Kent Ridge Road
Singapore, 119227
Phone: (+65) 9776 9221
E-mail: ghd2705@yahoo.com

Research Interests:

• Marine invertebrate biology and ecology
• Adhesion and settlement of marine organisms
• Application of evolutionary concepts to complex biological phenomena

Education:

• Ph.D. Duke University, Ecology (Duke Marine Laboratory)
• B.S. Binghamton University, Biological Sciences

Bio:
I am currently a research fellow at the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore. My Ph.D. research at the Duke Marine Lab focused on barnacle adhesion. Specifically, I used evolutionary concepts to understand how barnacle cement cures underwater. Through highly interdisciplinary and collaborative research, we discovered that barnacle cement cures the same way blood clots. Enzymes central to the blood clotting process were found in barnacle cement, one of which (transglutaminase) was found to be homologous to the human form of the enzyme.

Publications:

• Dickinson, G. H., I. E. Vega, K. J. Wahl, B. Orihuela, V. Beyley, E. N. Rodriguez, R. K. Everett, J. Bonaventura, and D. Rittschof. 2009. Barnacle cement: a polymerization model based on evolutionary concepts. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 212: 3499-3510. Cover article, and featured in “Inside JEB” column.
  News story from the BBC >
  News story in Ivanhoe Broadcast News >

• Gohad, N. V., G. H. Dickinson, B. Orihuela, D. Rittschof, and A. S. Mount. 2009. Visualization of putative ion-transporting epithelia in Amphibalanus amphitrite using correlative microscopy: potential function in osmoregulation and biomineralization. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. In press.

• Barlow, D. E., G. H. Dickinson, B. Orihuela, D. Rittschof, and K. J. Wahl. 2009. In situ ATR-FTIR characterization of primary cement interfaces of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Biofouling. 25: 359-366.

• Sullan, R. M. A., N. Gunari, A. Tanur, Y. Chan, G. H. Dickinson, B. Orihuela, D. Rittschof, and G. C. Walker. 2009. Nanoscale structures and mechanics of barnacle cement. Biofouling. 25: 263-275.

• Ramsay, D. B., G. H. Dickinson, B. Orihuela, D. Rittschof and K. J. Wahl. 2008. Base plate mechanics of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite (= Amphibalanus amphitrite). Biofouling 24:109-118.

• Dickinson, G. H., D. Rittschof, and C. Latanich. 2006. Spawning biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in North Carolina. Bulletin of Marine Science 79:273-285.

• Handy, S. T., M. Okello, and G. Dickinson. 2003. Solvents from biorenewable sources: Ionic liquids based on fructose. Organic Letters 5:2513-2515. As corrected in 6:4137.

• Handy, S.T., M. Okello, G. Dickinson, and Egrie, C. 2003. Ionic liquids from biorenewable resources: nicotine and fructose. In Thirteenth International Symposium on Molten Salts; Trulove, P., DeLong, T.S.H., Eds.; Electochemical Society: Pennington, N.J. p. 257 – 267.

Hobbies:
Bicycling, Running, Traveling, Cooking