Research in my lab is motivated by the fact that most species are subdivided into finite systems of subpopulations and that the pattern of phenotypic and genetic variation within and among populations provides crucial information about evolutionary processes in nature. Determining the relative roles of diverse evolutionary processes in population differentiation and local adaptation has and remains one of the central questions in evolutionary biology. My lab addresses these questions using a combination of quantitative genetic, molecular genetic, candidate gene, genomic, and statistical approaches to investigate the evolution and genetic control of ecologically important phenotypes in nature.

Currently, the research in my lab focuses on three broad research questions:

1. What are the loci and genetic networks that underlie ecologically-relevant phenotypic variation?
   

2. What evolutionary processes have influenced (and currently influence) the molecular genetic variation at these functional loci? Among populations? Among species?
   

3. How does molecular variation in these loci and networks influence ecologically relevant phenotypic variation in nature?
   

To address these questions, we currently employ the powerful model system of Drosophila melanogaster, because it allows us to use many of the numerous genetic and genomic tools that are available in this model system. However, in addition to a fantastic genetic tool kit D. melanogaster also displays many complex adaptation in nature (e.g. cold tolerance, heat tolerance, starvation resistance, etc.) thus it is an ideal model system for the study of ecological and evolutionary genomics.

Although, research in my lab has focused primarily on quantitative genetics in Drosophila, I have very broad interests that span the entire field of evolutionary and ecological quantitative genetics. If you are interested in any aspect of evolutionary and ecological genetics, I encourage you to contact me regardless of your particular taxonomic allegiance.