Rate My Professor Petra Dearden

Petra Dearden serves as the Administrator for the Dearden Group within the Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago. Since 2012, she has worked as a researcher in the Laboratory for Evolution and Development, contributing to studies in evolutionary developmental biology. Earlier in her academic career, she obtained a Master of Arts degree from the University of Otago in 2002. Her thesis, "Jewels or Dreams? The Jewellery of the Fayum Portraits," supervised by Patricia Hannah, explored the jewellery depicted in ancient Egyptian Fayum mummy portraits.

Dearden's research centers on honeybee biology, with a focus on embryonic and larval development stages, developmental plasticity, and the differential gene expression induced by royal jelly feeding in larvae. This work aims to elucidate the critical biological processes involved in queen bee development and associated epigenetic modifications, notably DNA methylation patterns. By using the honeybee as a model organism, her investigations extend to understanding the evolutionary aspects of developmental pathways, including the mechanisms of axis formation and segmentation across insect species. In 2014, Petra M. Dearden co-authored the review paper "More than just buzz: New Zealand bee research and its impact" with Peter K. Dearden, published in the New Zealand Science Review. The paper highlights pioneering advances in bee biology by New Zealand researchers and illustrates how fundamental research translates into practical benefits for the beekeeping industry. Additionally, Petra Dearden has played a key role in supporting the laboratory's output by providing critical reviews, technical support, and proofreading for multiple high-impact publications, such as "The potential for the use of gene drives for pest control in New Zealand" (2017), "Noggin proteins are multifunctional extracellular regulators of cell signaling" (2022), "The Nasonia pair-rule gene regulatory network retains its function" (2022), and "Chromosome-level genome assemblies of two parasitoid biocontrol agents" (2023). Her contributions have enhanced the scientific rigor and dissemination of research on insect development, genomics, and pest management.