Overview
Research in my laboratory strives to understand what genetic changes contribute to the formation of new species, what maintains fitness-related variation in natural populations, and how the process of genetic recombination affects both species formation and molecular evolution. Our approaches combine classical genetic, molecular genetic, and genomic/ bioinformatic analyses, along with occasional forays into areas like animal behavior (in relation to speciation). I am also very interested in …
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Biology
·
2008 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2017 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Bass Fellow
·
2016 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
Interrogating the Roles of Mutation-Selection Balance, Heterozygote Advantage, and Linked Selection in Maintaining Recessive Lethal Variation in Natural Populations.
Journal Article Annual review of animal biosciences · February 2023 For nearly a century, evolutionary biologists have observed chromosomes that cause lethality when made homozygous persisting at surprisingly high frequencies (>25%) in natural populations of many species. The evolutionary forces responsible for the mainten ... Full text CiteThinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?
Journal Article Evolution: Education and Outreach · December 1, 2022 Scholars and the public conceive of extraterrestrial life through the lens of "life as we know it" on Earth. However, assumptions based on centuries of study around heredity and evolution on Earth may not apply to life truly independent forms of life, and ... Full text CiteGene flow biases population genetic inference of recombination rate.
Journal Article G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · November 2022 Accurate estimates of the rate of recombination are key to understanding a host of evolutionary processes as well as the evolution of the recombination rate itself. Model-based population genetic methods that infer recombination rates from patterns of link ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Genetics and evolution of lethal alleles in Drosophila
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2025Genetic and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025Biddle 2022 A&S Proposal
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 2019 - 2022View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
The University of Chicago ·
1996
Ph.D.
College of William and Mary ·
1992
B.S.