Transitions in development - an interview with Amy Shyer and Alan Rodrigues

Amy Shyer and Alan Rodrigues co-lead the Laboratory of Morphogenesis at Rockefeller University. Having first met as graduate students in Cliff Tabin's lab at Harvard University, they then moved to the Bay Area (California), where Amy carried out her postdoctoral work in Richard Harland's lab while Alan pursued independent postdoctoral research based on the work of Pere Alberch. In 2018, they were recruited to Rockefeller, where their lab investigates how morphogenesis regulates patterning across length-scales, with a focus on collective behaviours operating at the supracellular scale. We met Amy and Alan over zoom to discuss their unique approach to understanding morphogenesis, the importance of emotional resilience in becoming a PI, and the benefits and challenges of running a singular research programme through two people.