He joined the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1968, and became professor emeritus in 1999. His research contributions include elucidation of the mechanism of genetic missense suppression in bacteria, the development of techniques to make genomic libraries using recombinant DNA, techniques for using yeast for DNA cloning, characterization of centromere DNA, and construction of the first artificial chromosomes. Many of his later research contributions were carried out in collaboration with his wife, Professor Louise B. Clarke.
He joined the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1968, and was promoted to emeritus professor in 1999. His research achievements include revealing the mechanism behind genetic missense suppression in bacteria, developing methods to create genomic libraries using recombinant DNA, techniques for utilizing yeast for DNA cloning, characterization of centromere DNA, and constructing the first artificial chromosomes. Many of his later research endeavors were carried out in collaboration with his wife, Professor Louise B. Clarke.