Ralf Josef Sommer (born 23 September 1963) is a German
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually speciali ...
specializing in
evolutionary developmental biology
Evolutionary developmental biology (informally, evo-devo) is a field of biological research that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to infer how developmental processes evolved.
The field grew from 19th-century beginn ...
.
Scientific career
Sommer studied biology at the
RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University (), also known as North Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Technical University of Aachen, University of Aachen, or ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hoch ...
, at the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...
and at the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: link=no, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of ...
where he obtained his
Diplom
A ''Diplom'' (, from grc, δίπλωμα ''diploma'') is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belaru ...
degree in 1989 and earned his Ph.D. in the lab of
Diethard Tautz
Diethard Tautz (born 17 August 1957 in Glonn) is a German biologist and geneticist, who is primarily concerned with the molecular basis of the evolution of mammals. Since 2006 he is director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology ...
on a study of the evolution of segmentation genes in insects in 1992. His work was one of the first
molecular
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...
studies in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (
evo-devo
Evolutionary developmental biology (informally, evo-devo) is a field of biological research that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to infer how developmental processes evolved.
The field grew from 19th-century beginn ...
in short), a discipline that started its revival in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From 1993-1995 he was a Research Fellow at the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Since 1999, he has been Director of the department Evolutionary Biology at the
Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
The Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology Tübingen was located in Tübingen, Germany; it was founded as Max Planck Institute for Virus Research in 1954 as an offshoot of the Tübingen-based Max Planck Institute for Biology. From 1984 to 2 ...
in Tübingen, Germany and was appointed Adjunct Professor (Honorarprofessor) at the University of Tübingen in 2002. He is awardee of the FALCON Prize of the German Society for Cell Biology and was head co-organizer of the 19th International C. elegans Conference, UCLA, USA in 2013. In 2015 he was elected as an EMBO member.
Professional contributions
Ralf Sommer works in the field of evolutionary developmental biology on
nematodes. He has developed and established the nematode ''Pristionchus pacificus'' as a
model system
Systems modeling or system modeling is the interdisciplinary study of the use of models to conceptualize and construct systems in business and IT development.[scarab beetles
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...](_bla ...<br></span></div> for integrative studies in evolutionary biology.<ref name=one></ref> Described in 1996 as a new species by Sommer and co-workers, ''P. pacificus'' has grown as an important model system, in which laboratory studies that aim for a mechanistic understanding of evolution can be combined with fieldwork.<ref name=one /><ref name=two></ref> The latter allows ecological and population genetic studies to complement the gene-centered and development-centered perspectives of evo-devo.<ref name=one /><ref name=three></ref>
The original work of Sommer´s research focused on the evolution of developmental processes showing that homologous structures can be generated by distinct molecular mechanisms, a phenomenon now known as developmental systems drift.<ref name=four></ref><ref name=five></ref><ref name=six></ref> More recent work incorporates many additional areas of evolutionary biology.<ref name=one /><ref name=two /><ref name=three /><ref name=seven></ref><ref name=eight></ref> The nematode ''P. pacificus'' is associated with <div class=)
, an observation that provides an ecological framework and represents one of the cornerstones of his current research.
Similarly, a
population genetic
Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and between populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as adaptation, speciation, and pop ...
framework for ''P. pacificus'' research has been established with the identification and exploration of
La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, where this nematode shows an extraordinary genetic diversity.
''P. pacificus'' work on La Réunion Island is supported by a field station at the local Insectarium in Le Port. The integrative research program on ''P. pacificus'' represents a major paradigm shift for studying
phenotypic
In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...
evolution, by simultaneously investigating in one organism, the same patterns and processes from independent evolutionary perspectives.
Consequently, the most recent studies investigate the evolution of novelty, focusing on
developmental (phenotypic) plasticity as a facilitator of biological diversity. Specifically, the combination of laboratory studies with fieldwork allows new insight into the molecular mechanisms of developmental plasticity.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer, Ralf J.
1963 births
Living people
Max Planck Society people
Evolutionary biologists
University of Tübingen alumni
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
21st-century German biologists
Max Planck Institute directors