Affiliation: University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences

Dr. Paul W. Chrystal is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada. His main research interests are the study of rare genetic diseases that impact the cilium, and ocular development and disease.

Dr. Chrystal began his research career while completing a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK. In the lab of Prof. Michael Briggs he investigated the contribution of endoplasmic reticulum stress to the long bone phenotype of pseudoachondroplasia. During an MRes and PhD at Newcastle University, UK, Dr. Chrystal switched focus to study the contribution of the eukaryotic cilium to human disease. In the labs of Dr. Bill Chaudhry and Prof. Deborah Henderson he undertook research to demonstrate a contribution of the planar cell polarity gene, jnk1, in ciliogenesis and cardiac development. While there he was also involved in the study of Bardet-Biedl syndrome gene BBS5 and its requirement for normal ocular development in zebrafish.

Dr. Chrystal moved to the University of Alberta, Canada, for Postdoctoral training with a focus on the contribution of ciliary genes to ocular disease. During this time he has investigated the disease etiology of human ocular diseases including Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, pigmentary glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. His current studies focus on the contribution of the cilium to normal ocular development and human disease.