Functional genetics and molecular evolution: a polemic
A functional geneticist is one who uses genetics (primarily as a tool) to study biological processes of any sort. I have been a functional geneticist for most of my career, and at heart I am still. Having changed my research focus to molecular evolution, I fancy myself as having a distinctive perspective on the interplay between these two very different forms of genetics.
I plan to elaborate soon, but for now the importance can be summarized by noting that the pattern of phylogenetic conservation of a gene is a key indicator of the likely functional role of that gene.