Research Overview

Common Murre (Uria aalge) in Alaska

Research Overview

We are broadly interested in using molecular techniques to learn about the diversity of life around us.

We investigate questions such as:

1. What mechanisms generate and maintain diversity? How do an organism's ecology and

their interactions with the environment relate to this?

2. How has diversity changed over time in response to anthropogenic influences and other biotic

and abiotic factors? What are the implications of this for the conservation of populations and species?

3. What diversity has been lost? What are the mechanisms involved in extinction?

4. How can we balance biodiversity with human needs? What factors impact biodiversity in urban

environments?

We use data sets ranging from genes to genomes, with sophisticated bioinformatic and statistical approaches, to address these questions, and incorporate ancient DNA to obtain insights only possible from an explicit temporal perspective. We integrate genetic data with environmental, cellular, and physiological data as well. This interdisciplinary approach unifies and provides a comprehensive framework for addressing these types of fundamental questions. While we often study marine birds and mammals, we are question driven and work with a wide variety of species.

Take a look at these pages for some examples:

Balancing Biodiversity and Agriculture | Temporal Responses to Change | Phylogenomics | Urban Ecology

Seabirds | Seals | Songbirds