PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1/99-Present Forensic Examiner, Mitotyping Technologies, LLC

1/99-5/01 Instructor (Human Genetics), Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

8/96-12/98 Course Coordinator and Instructor, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

8/90-5/99 Senior Research Associate, Institute of Molecular Evolutionary Genetics, The Pennsylvania State University

5/88–5/90 Postdoctoral Fellow , Dr. Stephen Beverley, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

9/85–5/88 National Institutes of Health predoctoral traineeship in genetics, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

9/87 Visiting Investigator, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine.

9/84–12/87 Teaching Fellow, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

6/83–8/84 Research assistant , Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University

7/83-8/83 Research assistant, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC

8/82–5/83. Teaching assistant, Texas Tech University, Dept. of Biological Sciences.

EDUCATION
8/78-5/82 B.S., Biology, Magna Cum Laude, Honors with Distinction, Baylor University, Waco, TX

8/82-8/84 M.S., Zoology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, Advisor, Dr. Robert J. Baker, Department of Biological Sciences

9/84-5/88 Ph.D., Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Advisor, Dr. Rodney Honeycutt, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Laboratory Director: Certificate of Qualification in Forensic Identity, New York State Department of Health

AWARDS AND GRANTS–IN–AID OF RESEARCH
1996 Mineral Management Services grant. Stability and change in Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic communities II

1987 Albert R. and Alma Shadle Fellowship in Mammalogy, American Society of Mammalogists

1986 NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant. mtDNA variation between chromsomal races of Peromyscus leucopus

1985 Richmond Fund, Harvard University. Genetic studies of Heterocephalus glaber in Kenya

1986 A. Brazier Howell Award for student paper, American Society of Mammalogists

SOCIETY AFFILIATIONS
• American Society of Mammalogists
• Society for the Study of Evolution
• The Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES
• Mammal Technical Committee, Pennsylvania Biological Survey. 1996-2000
• Presidential Faculty Fellows Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation, Feb 1995
• Population Biology Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation, October 1994, May 1996.
• Doctoral Dissertation Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation, Dec. 1992, May 1993, May 1994
• Grants–in–aid committee, American Society of Mammalogists, 1989–1992
• Committee on Education and Graduate Students, American Society of Mammalogists, 1984–1988
• Ad hoc Committee on Animal Care Guidelines, American Society of Mammalogists, 1983–1985

EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE
• Assistant to the managing editor, Journal of Mammalogy, responsible for reading galley proofs (1983/1984)
• Reviewer for Journal of Forensic Science

FIELD EXPERIENCE
• Atlantis/Alvin cruise in the East Pacific Rise, May 1998
• Johnson Sea Link cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, August 1995, July 1997
• North America: numerous weeks collecting small mammals in the U.S. and Canada with particular emphasis on the Northeast and Southwest
• Africa: Six week in Kenya collecting small mammals with Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh PA

WORKSHIPS
• Statistics II – Forensic Mixture Interpretation and Analysis, Promega, October 2002
• DNA Auditing, BI Academy, Quantico, VA, April 2002

SEMINARS AND PAPERS PRESENTED
2003 The Future of Forensic Investigation. Pennsylvania State Division, International Association for Identification. Banquet speaker.

2003 To Win or Lose by a Hair: The Science and Art of Forensic Mitochondrial DNA Analysis. Texas Genetics Society. Keynote speaker.

2002 The Science and Art of Forensic Mitochondrial DNA Analysis. New Jersey Prosecutor’s Death Penalty Workshop.

2002 Balancing a Career and Family. Symposium for Women in Science, Penn State Chapter of the Association for Women in Science. Keynote speaker.

2001 The Science and Art of Forensic Mitochondrial DNA Analysis. Public Defender of the State of Delaware. Talk provided for continuing education credits for public defenders.

2000 The case of degraded DNA: mtDNA ancient analysis to the rescue. Eleventh International Symposium on Human identification (poster).

1999 Mitochondrial DNA testing: casework in the private sector, heteroplasmy, and genetic diversity within the United States. Tenth International Symposium on Human Identification (poster)

1999 Forensic applications of human mitochondrial DNA variation. Symposium on Diversity and Evolution, American Genetic Association (poster)

1999 Forensic applications of mitochondrial DNA analyses. Pennsylvania State Division of the International Association of Identification (invited)

1997 Speciation of the bacterial symbionts of deep-sea vestimentiferan tube worms. Second International Congress on Symbiosis, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA

1996 Incongruent phylogenetic relationships among vestimentiferian tube worms and their symbionts. Symbiosis 96. Bar Harbor, Maine (poster)

1996 Molecular phylogeny. Geosciences Colloquium Series. The Origin and Early Evolution of Life. Pennsylvania State University

1996 Multigene phylogenies and the evolution of enteric bacteria. Symposium on Genealogical Approaches to the Study of Phylogenetic Processes. Rutgers University

1995 Evidence for selective sweeps and species structure in E. coli and Salmonella. Microbial Population Biology, Gordon Research Conference, Plymouth State College, NH.

1994 Molecular population genetics of enteric bacteria. Society for the Study of Evolution, Athens GA.

1993 Variation in the effective recombination rate in populations of E. coli and Salmonella. Second International E. coli Genome Meeting, Madison, WI. (invited)

1993 Gene evolution in Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Department of Biology, Cornell University

1993 Gene evolution in Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Department of Biology, Emory University

1993 Mammals to bacteria: the evolutionary history of organisms recorded in their genes. Department of Biology, University of Miami

1992 Gene evolution in Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University

1992 Mechanisms of gene evolution and clonal relationships in natural populations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. American Society of Microbiologists and International Conference on Molecular Evolution (poster).

1992 Mammals to bacteria: the evolutionary history of organisms recorded in their genes. Department of Biology, Shippensburg State University

1991 Nucleotide polymorphism and the evolution of chromosomally encoded genes in natural isolates of Salmonella and E. coli. Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University

1991 Molecular evolution of the Enterobacteriaceae: nucleotide polymorphisms of the gapA, putP, and gnd genes in natural populations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Society for the Study of Evolution

1990 Genetic structure of populations of hybridizing white–footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Ecology program, Pennsylvania State University

1990 Molecular evolution of trypanosomatid parasites: origins of vertebrate parasitism. Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University

1990 Are evolutionary relationships different for kinetoplastid mitochondrial and nuclear genomes? MacArthur consortium on the Biology of Parasitic Diseases. Harvard University

1989 Molecular data for evolutionary studies: white–footed mice and trypanosomatid parasites. Laboratory of Molecular Systematics, Smithsonian Institution.

1988 Mitochondrial DNA evolution in Peromyscus: genetic structure within a hybrid zone in P. leucopus. Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Mammalogists

1988 Genetic structure of populations within a hybrid zone in Peromyscus leucopus: evidence from mitochondrial DNA. Department of Biology, Hofstra University

1986 Genetic stucture of populations of an eusocial mammal, Heterocephalus glaber. American Society of Mammalogists, Society for the Study of Evolution

1985 Genetic interactions between hybridizing cytotypes of the white–footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. American Society of Mammalogists, Fourth International Theriological Congress (poster)

1984 Genetic interactions between hybridizing cytotypes of the white–footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. Department of Biology, Baylor University

1984 Genetic nature of a chromosomal contact zone in Peromyscus leucopus. American Society of Mamalogists

1983 Genetic affinity of an endangered species, Reithrodontomys raviventris. Southwestern Association of Naturalists, American Society of Mammalogists

1982 Population demography of Sigmodon hispidus on a natural tall grass prairie. Texas Academy of Science, Southwestern Association of Naturalists

PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS
1988 Nelson, K. mtDNA evolution in Peromyscus leucopus: genetic structure in populations within a hybrid zone. Genome 30: s33.

1989 Nelson, K., J. DeSalvo, E. Zimmer, and S. M. Beverley. Nuclear vs. mitochondrial RNA relationships give contrasting views of the number of origins of vertebrate parasitism in trypanosomatid parasites. J. Cell. Biol. s13C:100.

PUBLICATIONS
1984 Nelson, K., R.J. Baker, H.S. Shellhammer, and R.K. Chesser. A test of alternative hypotheses concerning the origin of Reithrodontomys raviventris: genetic analysis. J. Mamm. 65:668–673.

1986 Schlitter, D.A., I.R. Aggundey, M.B. Qumsiyeh, K. Nelson, and R.L. Honeycutt. Taxonomic and distributional notes on bats from Kenya. Ann. Carnegie Mus. 55:297–302.

1987 Nelson, K., R.J. Baker, and R.L. Honeycutt. Mitochondrial DNA and protein differentiation between hybridizing cytotypes of the white–footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. Evolution 41:864–872.

1987 Honeycutt, R.L., S.V. Edwards, K. Nelson, and E. Nevo. Mitochondrial DNA variation and the phylogeny of African mole rats (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). Syst. Zool. 36:280–292.

1988 Baker, R.J., C.G. Dunn, and K. Nelson. Allozyme study of the relationships of Phyloderma and four species of Phyllostomus. Occas. Papers Mus., Texas Tech Univ., 125:1–14.

1990 Nelson, K., G. Alonso, P.J. Langer, and S.M. Beverley. Sequence of the dihydrofolate reductase–thymidylate synthase (DHFR–TS) gene of Leishmania amazonensis. Nucleic Acids Research 18:2819.

1991 Honeycutt, R.L., K. Nelson, D.A. Schlitter, and P.W. Sherman. Genetic variation within and among populations of the naked mole–rat: evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. in The Biology of the Naked Mole–Rat. (P.W. Sherman, J.U.M. Jarvis, and R.D. Alexander, eds). Princeton University Press.

1991 Musser, J.M., A.R. Hauser, M.H. Kim, P.M. Schlievert, K. Nelson, and R.K. Selander. Streptococcus pyogenes causing toxic shock–like syndrome and other invasive diseases: Clonal diversity and pyrogenic exotoxin expression. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:2668–2672.

1991 Nelson, K., T.S. Whittam, and R.K. Selander. Nucleotide polymorphism and evolution in the glyceraldehyde–3–phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gapA) in natural populations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:6667–6671.

1991 Nelson, K., P.M. Schlievert, R.K. Selander, and J.M. Musser. Characterization and clonal distribution of four alleles of the speA gene encoding pyrogenic exotoxin A (scarlet fever toxin) in Streptococcus pyogenes. J. Exper. Medicine 174:1271–1274.

1992 Briones, M.R.S., K. Nelson, S.M. Beverley, M.H.T. Affonso, E.P. Camargo, and L.M. Floeter–Winter. Leishmania tarentolae taxonomic relatedness inferred from phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Mol. Biochem. Parasit. 53:121-128.

1992 Kapur, V., K. Nelson, P.M. Schlievert, R.K. Selander, and J.M. Musser. Molecular population genetic evidence of horizontal spread of two alleles of the pyrogenic exotoxin C gene (speC) among pathogenic clones of Streptococcus pyogenes. Infect. Immun. 60:3513-3517.

1992 Nelson, K., and R. K. Selander. Evolutionary genetics of the proline permease gene (putP) and the control region of the proline utilization operon in populations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 174:6886-6895.

1993 Li, J., N.H. Smith, K. Nelson, P.B. Crichton, D.C. Old, T.S. Whittam, and R.K. Selander. Evolutionary origin and radiation of the avian–adapted non–motile salmonellae. J. Med. Microbiol. 38:129-139.

1993 Musser, J.M., K. Nelson, R.K. Selander, D. Gerlach, J.C. Huang, V. Kapur, and S. Kanjilal. Temporal variation in bacterial disease frequency: molecular population genetic analysis of scarlet fever epidemics in Ottawa and in eastern Germany. J. Infect. Dis. 167:759-762.

1993 Nevo, E., R.L. Honeycutt, H. Yonekawa, K. Nelson, and N. Hanzawa. Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in subterranean mole-rats of the Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies in Israel, and its peripheral isolates. Mol. Biol. Evol. 10:590-604.

1993 Boyd, E.F., F-S. Wang, P. Beltran, S.A. Plock, K. Nelson, and R.K. Selander. Salmonella reference collection B (SARB): isolates of 35 serovars of subspecies I. J. Gen. Microbiol. 139:1125-1132.

1993 Fernandes, A.P., K. Nelson, and S.M. Beverley. Evolution of nuclear ribosomal RNAs in kinetoplastid protozoa: perspectives on the age and origins of parasitism. Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. 90:11608-11612.

1993 Nelson, K., V. Kapur, R. K. Selander, and J.M. Musser. Epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes: PCR and the identification of variant pyrogenic exotoxin alleles. in The PCR: an in vitro replication system. (D. Larzul, ed). Lavoisier, Paris.

1993 Nelson, K., J. Li, and R.K. Selander. PCR and comparative nucleotide sequencing: application to the study of genetic variation in natural populations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. in The PCR: an in vitro replication system. (D. Larzul, ed). Lavoisier Paris.

1994 Nelson, K. and R.K. Selander. Analysis of genetic variation by polymerase chain reaction-based nucleotide sequencing. Methods in Enzymology. 235:174-183.

1994 Boyd, E.F., K. Nelson, F.-S. Wang, T.S. Whittam, and R.K. Selander. Molecular genetic basis of allelic polymorphism in malate dehydrogenase (mdh) in natural populations of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 91:1280-1284.

1994 Li, J., K. Nelson, A.C. McWhorter, T.S. Whittam, and R.K. Selander. Recombinational basis of serovar diversity in Salmonella enterica. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 91:2552-2556.

1994 Selander, R.K., J. Li, E.F. Boyd, F.-S. Wang, and K. Nelson. DNA sequence analysis of the genetic structure of populations of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli, in Bacterial Systematics and Diversity. (Priest, F.G., A. Ramos-Cormenzana, and R. Tindall, eds.). Plenum.

1994 Nelson, K. and R.K. Selander. Intergeneric transfer and recombination of the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase gene (gnd) in enteric bacteria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 91:10227-10231.

1995 Li, J., H. Ochman, E.A. Groisman, E.F. Boyd, F. Soloman, K. Nelson, and R.K. Selander. Relationship between evolutionary rate and cellular location among the Inv/Spa invasion proteins of Salmonella enterica. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 92:7252-7256.

1995 Selander, R.K., J. Li, and K. Nelson. Evolutionary genetics of Salmonella enterica, pp.2691-2707. In F. C. Neidhardt, J.L. Ingraham, K.B. Low, B. Magasanik, M. Schaechter, and H.E. Umbarger (ed.), Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: cellular and molecular biology, vol. 2. American Society of Microbiology, Washington, D.C.

1997 Nelson, K., F. S. Wang, E. F. Boyd, and R. K. Selander. Size and sequence polymorphism in the isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase gene (aceK) and flanking regions in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli. Genetics 147: 1509-1520.

1997 Nelson, K. and R. K. Selander. Analysis of genetic variation by polymerase chain reaction-based nucleotide sequencing, pp. 59-68. In Bacterial Pathogenesis, eds. Clark, V. L. and Bavoil, P. M. (Academic Press, San Diego).

2000 Nelson, K. and C. R. Fisher. Absence of cospeciation in deep-sea vestimentiferan tube worms and their bacterial endosymbionts. Symbiosis 28:1-15.

2001 Melton, T.W. and K. Nelson. Forensic mitochondrial DNA anlysis: two years of commercial casework experience in the United States. Croatian Medical Journal. 42:298-303.