Rate My Professor David Lindsey

David Lindsey is Chair and Professor of Biology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Walla Walla University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, earned in 1992, and a B.S. from Southwestern Adventist College, obtained in 1981. Lindsey has served on the faculty at Walla Walla University since 1996. His research focuses on molecular and developmental biology, specifically the growth-to-development transition and selective protein degradation, using the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. This work explores mechanisms such as the role of ubiquitin processing proteases like UbpA and metalloproteases like Wss1 in cellular processes, including DNA damage repair and genotoxic stress responses. Lindsey's investigations contribute to understanding how cells prevent genetic defects during division, with potential implications for diseases like cancer.

Lindsey actively mentors undergraduate students, whose research under his guidance has been presented at national conferences. At the Murdock College Science Research Conference, Daniel Gross and Lindsey presented the poster "The role of LmcA at the growth-to-development transition." In 2008, students Crystal Leanza, Andrew Semotiuk, Stephanie Shin, and Ashley Goodacre presented findings at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meetings during the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in San Diego. Their poster, "The role of a ubiquitin processing protease, UbpA, in the growth-to-development transition of Dictyostelium development," addressed cellular decisions to cease growth and initiate development, relevant to stress responses and human stem cell function. Andrew Semotiuk delivered an oral presentation as first author, a rare honor for undergraduates, and received a $1,250 NSF travel award. A significant publication from Lindsey's research is "Wss1 metalloprotease partners with Cdc48/Doa1 in processing genotoxic SUMO conjugates," published in eLife in 2015, resulting from a sabbatical collaboration with researchers from Grenoble, France, and Emory University. Lindsey co-founded the university's Journal Club to enhance students' engagement with primary scientific literature and teaches Scientific Diving (SCDI 400) at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory.