Personal information

archaea, lateral gene transfer, metagenomics, genome evolution, Tree of Life, philosophy of biology, function
Canada

Biography

Doolittle received a BA (Biochemical Sciences magna cum laude) from Harvard College (1963) and a PhD (Biochemical Sciences) from Stanford University (1969, with Charles Yanofsky). He did postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois (with Sol Spiegelman) and National Jewish Hospital, Denver (with Norman Pace). For 48 years at Dalhousie (300+ publications), his focus has been on genome evolution (early events and microbial processes). Contributions have been both experimental (proof of the endosymbiotic origin of chloroplasts, eukaryotic nuclear origins, genetic methods for manipulating archaea, lateral [between-species] gene transfer and metagenomics) and theoretical (origins of introns, “selfish DNA”, meaning of the Tree of Life, levels of selection). He was for 20 years the Director of CIFAR’s Evolutionary Biology program. Since receiving the 2013 Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal from NSERC, his primary aim has been disciplinary integration of the philosophy of biology with molecular biological and genomic research, in particular as these bear on notions of function (in the context of “junk DNA”), evolutionary individuality and processes in multispecies microbial communities. He was a Guggenheim Fellow (1985) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (since 1991), and an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences (since 2002). In 2017 he won the Killam Prize in Natural Sciences awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Activities

Employment (6)

Dalhousie University : Halifax, NS, CA

1982 to present | Professor (& Professor Emeritus, continuing salaried post-retirement appointment, 2007-present), Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Cross-appointment, Dept. of Philosophy, from 2020
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cambridge, MA, US

2004 to 2005 | Senior Research Scholar (Dibner Institute for the History of Science & Technology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Stanford University: Stanford, CA, US

1985 to 1986 | Sabbatical Professor
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Dalhousie University: Halifax, NS, CA

1977 to 1982 | Associate Professor (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Harvard University : Cambridge, MA, US

1977 to 1978 | Sabbatical Professor
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Dalhousie University: Halifax, NS, CA

1971 to 1976 | Assistant Professor (and MRC Scholar) (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Education and qualifications (5)

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design: Halifax, NS, CA

2013 | BFA (Photography)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

National Jewish Hospital and Research Center: Denver, CO, US

1969 to 1971 | Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Stanford University: Stanford, CA, US

1969 | Ph.D. (Biological Sciences)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign, IL, US

1968 to 1969 | USPH Postdoctoral Fellow (Microbiology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Harvard College : Cambridge, MA, US

1963 | B.A. (Biochemical Sciences)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Professional activities (50)

US National Academy of Sciences: Washington, DC, US

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution: Lawrence, KS, US

Honorary
Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Royal Society of Canada: Ottawa, ON, CA

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Philosophy of Science Association: Baltimore, Maryland, US

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters: Oslo, NO

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology : Leeds, GB

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Society for Microbiology: Washington, DC, US

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Association For The Advancement of Science: Washington , DC, US

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Biology and Philosophy: Philadelphia, PA, US

2016 to present | Editorial Board
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Biology Direct: Washington, DC, US

2009 to present | Editorial Board
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences: Washington, DC, US

2002 to present | Editorial Board
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Royal Society of Canada: Ottawa, ON, CA

2019 | McLaughlin Medal
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

University of King's College: Halifax, NS, CA

2018 | Honorary Doctor of Civil Law
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

National Academy of Sciences: Washington, DC, US

2015 to 2018 | Committee to award Walcott and Miller Prize in Paleobiology
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: Toronto, ON, CA

2008 to 2018 | Advisory Board, Integrated Microbial Biodiversity Program
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution: Lawrence, KS, US

2017 | Motoo Kimura Lifetime Contribution Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canada Council for the Arts: Ottawa, ON, CA

2017 | Killam Prize in Natural Sciences
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

University High School: Urbana, IL, US

2015 | Max Beberman Distinguished Alumni Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council: Ottawa, ON, CA

2013 | Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Genome Alberta: Calgary, AB, CA

2009 to 2013 | Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Hydrocarbon Metagenomics Project
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Council of Canadian Academies: Ottawa, ON, CA

2009 to 2011 | Expert Panel on the State and Trends of Biodiversity Science in Canada
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Ontario Genomics Institute: Toronto, ON, CA

2009 | Scientific Advisory Group
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters: Oslo, NO

2009 | Elected Member
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Academy of Microbiology: Washington, DC, US

2007 to 2009 | Committee on Election to Fellowship
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: Toronto, ON, CA

2008 | Institute Fellow
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Ottawa, ON, CA

2002 to 2008 | Genomocs Grants Committee Member
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canada Research Chairs: Ottawa, ON, CA

2001 to 2008 | Canada Research Chair - Tier 1 (Comparative Microbial Genomics)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

National Research Council: Washington, DC, US

2005 to 2007 | Metagenomics Committee Member
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research : Toronto, ON, CA

1986 to 2007 | Director (Program in Evolutionary Biology)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Genome Prairie: Saskatoon, SK, CA

2001 to 2005 | Scientific Advisory Board
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Academy of Microbiology: Washington, DC, US

2001 to 2004 | International Initiatives Committee Member
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

National Academy of Sciences: Washington, DC, US

2002 | Elected Member
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The Canadian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology: Toronto, ON, CA

2001 | Roche Diagnostics Prize for Biomolecular and Cellular Research
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Gairdner Foundation : Toronto, ON, CA

2001 | Awards Committee Member
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canada Research Chairs: Ottawa, Ontario, CA

2001 | Member of College of Reviewers
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

University of Ottawa : Ottawa, ON, CA

2000 | Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Academy of Microbiology: Washington, DC, US

1999 | Elected Fellow
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation and The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: Ottawa, ON, CA

1996 | Henry Friesen Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Royal Society of Canada : Ottawa, ON, CA

1991 | Elected Fellow
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Genetics Society of Canada: Ottawa, ON, CA

1991 | Award of Excellence
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: Toronto, ON, CA

1986 | Fellow
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Stanford University: Stanford, California, US

1985 | Guggenheim Fellowship
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

American Association For The Advancement of Science: Washington, District of Columbia, US

1985 | Elected Fellow
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Dalhousie University: Halifax, NS, CA

1982 | Max Forman Senior Faculty Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Canadian Biochemical Society: Toronto, ON, CA

1981 | Ayerst Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Atlantic Provinces Inter-University Council on the Sciences: Halifax, NS, CA

1978 | Young Scientist of the Year Award
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Medical Research Council: Halifax, NS, CA

1971 | MRC Scholarship (5-year award)
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

National Jewish Hospital and Research Center: Denver, CO, US

1969 | US National Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Stanford University: Stanford, CA, US

1963 | National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (declined)
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Harvard College: Cambridge, MA, US

1959 | National Merit Scholarship
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Funding (16)

Foundations of inter-species mutualisms

2020 to 2023 | Grant
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Palo Alto, USA, US)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Testing “It’s the song, not the singer(s)”: microbiomes to Gaia

2020 to 2022 | Grant
CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal in Science and Engineering: Discovery Grant

2014 to 2019 | Grant
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Strategic Research Initiatives Fund

2014 to 2016 | Grant
Dalhousie University - Office of VP (Research) (Halifax, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Modeling and mapping microbial diversity and function with marker genes, genomes and metagenomes

2010 to 2014 | Grant
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

CGEB Molecular Biology Postdoctoral Fellowship (plus research allowance)

2008 to 2010 | Grant
Tula Foundation (Vancouver, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Integron metagenomics

2006 to 2009 | Grant
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Prokaryotic Genome Project

2006 to 2007 | Grant
Genome Atlantic (Award-in-Aid) (Halifax, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The archaeal microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

2004 to 2006 | Grant
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (Toronto, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Evolution of genome structure and function

2002 to 2007 | Grant
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

A comparative understanding of prokaryotic genome evolution and diversity

2002 to 2006 | Grant
Genome Canada (Genome Atlantic) (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Comparative Microbial Genomics

2001 to 2008 | Grant
Canada Research Chairs (CIHR) (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Funding to accompany Canada Research Chair

2001 to 2002 | Grant
Canada Foundation for Innovation (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Bioinformatic evaluation of theories in genomics

2000 to 2003 | Grant
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Equipment Grant

2000 to 2001 | Grant
Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (Halifax, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Equipment Grant

2000 to 2001 | Grant
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Works (50 of 307)

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Page 1 of 7

Towards a More General Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection: A Manifesto

Philosophy, Theory, and Practice in Biology
2024-06-26 | Journal article
Contributors: François Papale; W. Ford Doolittle
Source: check_circle
Crossref

All about levels: transposable elements as selfish DNAs and drivers of evolution

Biology & Philosophy
2022-08 | Journal article
Contributors: W. Ford Doolittle
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Horizontal persistence and the complexity hypothesis

Biology and Philosophy
2020 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Could this pandemic usher in evolution's next major transition?

Current biology : CB
2020-06-28 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Getting clear about the F-word in genomics.

PLoS genetics
2020-04-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Horizontal persistence and the complexity hypothesis

Biology & Philosophy
2020-02 | Journal article
Contributors: Aaron Novick; W. Ford Doolittle
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Evolution: Two Domains of Life or Three?

Current biology : CB
2020-02-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Neutral evolution of cellular phenotypes.

Current opinion in genetics & development
2019-09-28 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Making Evolutionary Sense of Gaia.

Trends in ecology & evolution
2019-05-30 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

How microbes "jeopardize" the modern synthesis.

PLoS genetics
2019-05-15 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Speciation without species: a final word

Philosophy, Theory and Practice in Biology
2018 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Life and Life only: a radical alternative to life definitionism

Synthese (online)
2018 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Mutationism, not Lamarckism, captures the novelty of CRISPR-Cas

Biology and Philosophy
2018 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

We simply cannot go on being so vague about 'function'.

Genome biology
2018-12-18 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Processes and patterns of interaction as units of selection: An introduction to ITSNTS thinking.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2018-03-26 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

It's the song, not the singer: an exploration of holobiosis and evolutionary theory

Biology and Philosophy
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Making the most of clade selection

Philosophy of Science
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The coupling of taxonomy and function in microbiomes

Biology and Philosophy
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The generality of Constructive Neutral Evolution

Biology and Philosophy
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

On causal roles and selected effects: our genome is mostly junk.

BMC biology
2017-12-05 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Darwinizing Gaia.

Journal of theoretical biology
2017-02-22 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Molecular Phylogenetics and the Perennial Problem of Homology.

Journal of molecular evolution
2016-11-21 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Microbial Evolution: Xenology (Apparently) Trumps Paralogy.

Current biology : CB
2016-11-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The Modern Synthesis in the Light of Microbial Genomics.

Annual review of microbiology
2016-07-06 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

What Is the Tree of Life?

PLoS genetics
2016-04-14 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Philosophy, who needs it? (Review of Philosophy of Biology by P. Godfrey-Smith)

Current Biology
2015 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Rethinking the Tree of Life

Microbe
2015 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Archaea.

Current biology : CB
2015-10-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Eukaryotes first: how could that be?

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
2015-09-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Reply to Lane and Martin: Being and becoming eukaryotes.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2015-08-17 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Multilevel Selection Theory and the Evolutionary Functions of Transposable Elements.

Genome biology and evolution
2015-08-06 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Symbiosis becoming permanent: Survival of the luckiest.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2015-08-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Eukaryogenesis, how special really?

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2015-04-16 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Microbial diversity: a bonanza of phyla.

Current biology : CB
2015-03-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Natural selection through survival alone, and the possibility of Gaia

Biology and Philosophy
2014 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Getting "function" right.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2014-08-08 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Rhodoluna lacicola gen. nov., sp. nov., a planktonic freshwater bacterium with stream-lined genome.

International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology
2014-07-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

How natural a kind is "eukaryote?".

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology
2014-06-02 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Distinguishing between "function" and "effect" in genome biology.

Genome biology and evolution
2014-05-09 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The trouble with (group II) introns.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2014-04-22 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

What is a prokaryote?

4th edition of The Prokaryotes
2013 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

The spliceosomal catalytic core arose in the RNA world… or did it?

Genome biology
2013-12-13 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Sixty years of genome biology.

Genome biology
2013-04-25 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Is junk DNA bunk? A critique of ENCODE.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2013-03-11 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Carl R. Woese (1928–2012).

Current biology : CB
2013-03-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Craig Venter’s new life: the realization of some thought experiments in biological ontology

Thought Experiments in Science, Philosophy and the Arts
2012 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Microbial neopleomorphism

Biology and Philosophy
2012 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Postphylogenetics

Microbes and Evolution: The World That Darwin Never Saw
2012 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Genome sequence of the mesophilic Thermotogales bacterium Mesotoga prima MesG1.Ag.4.2 reveals the largest Thermotogales genome to date.

Genome biology and evolution
2012-07-12 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle

Population genomics: how bacterial species form and why they don't exist.

Current biology : CB
2012-06-01 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
W. Ford Doolittle
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