About
Biography
I received my Ph.D. in Population Biology from UC Davis in 2015, after which I did a postdoc at UC Berkeley from 2015-2016. I was an Assistant Professor in Integrative Biology at Michigan State University from 2017-2022.
Research Area(s)
- Spatial population genetics
- Computational/statistical genomics
- Coevolution
- Statistical inference
Research Interest
We've known for a long time that, in many species, population genetic variation is distributed continuously across space, rather than partitioned between discrete groups. Historically, limitations in sampling have often allowed us to employ models of discrete structure. But, with the high-throughput genotyping and sequencing revolution and the massive empirical datasets it has facilitated, we know we can no longer ignore geography. The failure to incorporate space into population genetic methods can have far-reaching consequences, from misleading inference of discrete population structure or admixture, to stratification issues in genotype-phenotype association studies, to a weaker basic knowledge of the biology of organisms. In the lab, we work to develop and implement novel population genetic models and statistical methods for describing population structure and admixture, as well as studying local adaptation, coevolution, and natural selection. This work combines population genetics theory, computation, statistics and inference, and a knowledge of the natural history of the empirical systems in which we apply our methods.
Fields of Study
- Population Genetics
- Evolution
- Statistics
Graduate Students
- Meaghan Clark (Michigan State University)
- Alex Lewanski (Michigan State University)
Postdoctoral Fellows
- Mike Grundler
- Zach Hancock
- Phil Gerrish
- Leonard Jones
