Evolution; Population Genetics / Genomics; Cell Biology

Our research focuses on mechanisms of evolution at the gene, genomic, cellular, and phenotypic levels, giving special attention to the role of mutation, random genetic drift, and recombination. We are especially interested in building evolutionary theory from first principles, linking population genetics, cell biology, and biophysics, and using this theory to explain patterns of phenotypic variation across the Tree of Life. A key goal is to help in developing an emerging field of evolutionary cell biology, connecting detailed information on intracellular and molecular features and their diversification to explicit evolutionary theory. Model organisms employed include the microcrustacean Daphnia, the ciliated protozoan Paramecium, and various other microbial species. Methodologies include high-throughput methods in genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics; high-performance computing; and mathematical analysis.