Dr. Dustin Hancks Seminar Title: “The impact of mitochondria on the origins, evolution, and maladaptation of immunity” Bio: Dr. Dustin was raised a Cubs fan on the Mississippi River in Moline, IL – the home of the John Deere factory. Following high school, Dustin served in the U.S. Army in Virginia and elsewhere working on cargo ships. After working for Uncle Sam, Dustin returned home and obtained an Associate Degree; then attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for his Bachelor’s degree. He obtained his Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. He then moved west for his postdoc at the University of Utah which was supported by an American Cancer Society Fellowship and a NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. Following his postdoc, the Hancks lab was launched at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX with support from a recruitment award from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. The long-term goal of the Hancks lab is to identify novel cellular mechanisms that shape the elaborate chess match between hosts and pathogens with a particular interest in mitochondrial biology. The studies integrate genetics, functional genomics, bioinformatics, and evolutionary signatures with virology, cell culture, yeast, and mouse models. In his free time, Dustin enjoys going to rock concerts with his wife; he has attended several hundred to date. In addition, he likes hosting cook-off parties including a chili cook-off now well into its second decade of competition.