简介

I have been fascinated by research involving genetics and microevolution since my sophomore year in college. The main focus of our research concerns the genetic basis of aging, and the demography of Drosophila, with a major goal of identifying specific genes that influence the aging process. On the theoretical side, I study genetic models of frequency-dependent selection. These models are relevant to questions such as "What selective forces have influenced the evolution of female mating preferences?" and "How do the details of genetic inheritance constrain adaptation?". In some cases analytical answers came directly from the mathematical models, but often the models demand study by computer simulation. On the experimental side, I use Drosophila as a model system. Artificial selection experiments tell us about how population size and structure influence the response to selection, what factors limit the total response, and how genetic correlations between characters influence microevolutionary change.