Dr. Clifford Pickett

Areas of Expertise

• Developmental biology, gene regulation, embryology, gene expression systems, CRISPR-Cas technology

Education

• B.S. in biology, Rhode Island College (2013)
• Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, University of California San Diego and San Diego State University (2020)

What's My Why?

My research focuses on developmental biology and gene regulation using the Rhode Island-native marine invertebrate "Ciona intestinalis." My lab aims to understand how genes control the specification of embryonic tissues and early immune system development, and how new cell types evolve. This work provides excellent opportunities for undergraduates to participate in impactful research, utilizing embryological techniques, to molecular biology assays, through computational analyses. I especially enjoy mentoring students as they develop their skills as researchers and become contributors to science. I enjoy teaching immensely and aim for as much active learning as possible, whether it’s teaching non-major biology courses, upper-division electives or anything in between. I value the close-knit, mission-driven community at our university, where small class sizes allow me to know my students well and best support their academic success alongside personal and professional growth.

Professional Experience

I am a developmental biologist interested in how regulatory networks drive gene expression and cell fate, and how novel cell types evolve. I began my research career at Rhode Island College, studying the functional evolution of myogenic regulatory factors, utilizing the Rhode Island-native marine invertebrate "Ciona intestinalis." My doctoral work at San Diego State University examined the development and evolution of the peripheral nervous system. My postdoctoral research at Swarthmore College focused on early embryonic development and development of the innate immune system, where I investigated signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators that specify various embryonic tissues and distinct blood cell types, respectively.

Selected Publications

Immune cell type divergence in a basal chordate Tal D. Scully, C. J. Pickett, Nicolas A. Gort-Freitas, Bradley Davidson, Allon M. Klein bioRxiv 2025.05.20.655184; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.20.655184.

Pickett, C. J., Hannah N. Gruner, and Bradley Davidson. "Lhx3/4 initiates a cardiopharyngeal-specific transcriptional program in response to widespread FGF signaling." PLOS Biology 22.1 (2024): e3002169.

Pickett, C. J., Joseph Ryan, and Bradley Davidson. "Acquisition of polymorphism in the chordate doliolids." Integrative and Comparative Biology (2024): icae101.

Neural signaling contributes to heart formation and growth in the invertebrate chordate, Ciona robusta Hannah N. Gruner and C. J. Pickett, Jasmine Yimeng Bao, Richard Garcia, Akiko Hozumi, Tal Scully, Shaoyang Ning, Mavis Gao, Gia Bautista, Keren Maze, Karissa Lim, Tomohiro Osugi, Mae Collins-Doijode, Ofubofu Cairns, Gabriel Levis, Shu Yi Chen, TaiXi Gong, Honoo Satake, Allon Moshe-Klein, Eduardo D. Gigante, Yasunori Sasakura, Bradley Davidson. bioRxiv 2025.04.28.651085; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.28.651085

Ratcliffe, Lindsay E., Asiedu, E. K., Pickett, C. J., Warburton, M. A., Izzi, S. A., & Meedel, T. H. "The Ciona myogenic regulatory factor functions as a typical MRF but possesses a novel N-terminus that is essential for activity." Developmental biology 448.2 (2019): 210-225.