Research Interests

Purpose: I'm driven by finding unifying theories of nature. With an aim towards transdisciplinarity, I do this by developing and using rigorous mathematics and conceptual reasoning to probe fundamental biological questions at an abstract level and, in doing so, find hidden connections between fields. I then work with empirical colleagues to further sharpen and reify these ideas in an iterative manner.

Scientific Philosophy: I'm a strong proponent of qualitative and hypothesis-generating modeling, "Figure 1 theory", strong inference methods, and theory building. More practically, if you want to know where I (currently) place my conceptual flags, check out these papers: here, here, and here.

Methods: Eco-evolutionary dynamics, game theory, matrix and integral population models, stochastic simulation, and philosophical deliberation. If you want to play around with G functions, check out our software tool here and the corresponding pedagogical website here.

See below for a description of projects and research themes that I'm actively working on. View all my publications on my Google Scholar page.

State-Structured Populations

Many populations are structured in some way (age, habitat, size). In this project, we develop the mathematics to model eco-evolutionary dynamics in structured populations (eco-evo-demo dynamics) and use our framework to examine a variety of questions in cancer, mostly about the evolution of resistance. These methods encompass both continuous and discrete time and space by combining matrix and integral projection models with techniques in evolutionary game theory. I, and others, are currently testing the predictions of these models in the lab.

Active Collaborators: Wayne Stallaert, Kenneth J. Pienta, Sarah R. Amend, Joel S. Brown, Emma U. Hammarlund, Sofie Mohlin, Robert H. Austin

Relevant Publications

Cunningham, J., Bukkuri, A., Brown, J.S., Gillies, R.J., Gatenby, R.A. (2021). Coupled Source-Sink Habitats Produce Spatial and Temporal Variation of Cancer Cell Molecular Properties as an Alternative to Branched Clonal Evolution and Stem Cell Paradigms. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9(676071), 1-15. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Pienta, K.J., Austin, R.H., Hammarlund, E.U., Amend, S.R., Brown, J.S. (2022). A Life History Model of the Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics of Polyaneuploid Cancer Cells. Nature Scientific Reports, 12(13713), 1-12. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Pienta, K.J., Austin, R.H., Hammarlund, E.U., Amend, S.R., Brown, J.S. (2022). Stochastic Models of Mendelian and Reverse Transcriptional Inheritance in State-Structured Cancer Populations. Nature Scientific Reports, 12(13079), 1-13. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Pienta, K.J., Austin, R.H., Hammarlund, E.U., Amend, S.R., Brown, J.S. (2023). A Mathematical Investigation of Polyaneuploid Cancer Cell Memory and Cross-Resistance in State-Structured Cancer Populations. Scientific Reports, 13(15027), 1-11. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Brown, J.S. (2023). Integrating Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics into Matrix Population Models for Structured Populations: Discrete and Continuous Frameworks. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(6), 1475-1488. PDF.

Bukkuri, A. (2024). Modeling Stress-Induced Responses: Plasticity in Continuous State Space and Gradualistic Clonal Evolution. Theory in Biosciences, 143(1), 1-15. Link. PDF Link.

Carroll, C.P., Manaprasertsak, A., Castro, A.B., van den Bos, H., Spierings, D., Wardenaar, R. Bukkuri, A., Engström, N., Baratchart, E., Yang, M., Biloglav, A., Cornwallis, C., Johansson, B., Hagerling, C., Arsenian-Henriksson, M., Paulsson, K, Amend, S., Mohlin, S., Foijer, F., McIntyre, A., Pienta, K.J., Hammarlund, E.U. (2024). Drug-resilient cancer cell phenotype is acquired via polyploidization associated with early stress response coupled to HIF-2α transcriptional regulation. Cancer Research Communications, 4(3), 691–705. Link.

Bukkuri, A. (2024). Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Structured Populations in Periodically Fluctuating Environments: A G Function Approach. Theory in Biosciences, 143, 293-299. Link. PDF Link.

Bukkuri, A., Andersson, S., Brown, J.S., Hammarlund, E.U., Mohlin, S. (2024). Cell Types or Cell States? An Investigation of Adrenergic and Mesenchymal Cell Phenotypes in Neuroblastoma. iScience, 27(111433), 1-9. PDF.

Cancer, Criminology & Corruption

Many aspects of oncogenesis, from signaling and resource acquisition to division of labor and mutualisms, can be viewed through the lens of animal behavior. In this project, we draw on principles of corruption and deviance theory to understand the behavioral ecology of cancer cells. In doing so, we devise new treatment strategies that shape selection pressures to the physician's advantage. We demonstrate the need to recognize the games cancer cells play with each other and show how evolutionary processes may corrupt the value of biomarkers in clinical decision-making.

Active Collaborators: Frederick R. Adler

Relevant Publications

Bukkuri, A., Adler, F.R. (2021). Viewing Cancer Through the Lens of Corruption: Using Behavioral Ecology to Understand Cancer. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9(678533), 1-14. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Gatenby, R.A., Brown, J.S. (2022). GLUT1 Production in Cancer Cells: A Tragedy of the Commons. Nature Project Journal Systems Biology and Applications, 8(22), 1-13. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Adler, F.R. (2023). Biomarkers or Biotargets? Using Competition to Lure Cancer Cells into Evolutionary Traps. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 11(1), 264-276. PDF.

Bukkuri, A., Adler, F.R. Of Criminals and Cancer: The Importance of Social Bonds and Innate Morality on Cellular Societies. Cells & Development, 180(203964), 1-6. Link.

Bukkuri, A., Adler, F.R. Mathematical Modeling of Field Cancerization through the Lens of Cancer Behavioral Ecology. Under Review, 1-12. Preprint.

Evolvability

Evolvability, or the capacity for an organism to generate heritable variation that can be acted upon by natural selection, plays a key role in shaping the eco-evolutionary dynamics of species. In this project, we examine how it impacts eco-evolutionary dynamics in a variety of scenarios: clade initiation, evolutionary tracking, adaptive radiation, and evolutionary rescue with implications for conservation biology, geobiology, and cancer therapy.

Active Collaborators: Emma U. Hammarlund

Relevant Publications

Bukkuri, A., Pienta, K.J., Amend, S.R., Austin, R.H., Hammarlund, E.U., Brown, J.S. (2023). The Contribution of Evolvability to the Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Competing Species. Ecology and Evolution, 13(10591), 1-18. PDF.

Hammarlund, E.U., Bukkuri, A., Norling, M., Posth, N.R., Carroll, C., Baratchart, E., Amend, S.R., Gatenby, R.A., Pienta, K.J., Brown, J.S., Peters, S., Hancke, K. (2025). Benthic daily oxygen variability and stress as drivers for animal diversification in the Cambrian. Nature Communications, 16(2223), 1-18. PDF.

Bhattacharya, R., Avdieiev, S., Bukkuri, A., Whelan, C., Gatenby, R., Tsai, K., Brown, J.S. (2025). The Hallmarks of Cancer as Eco-Evolutionary Processes. Cancer Discovery, 15(4), 685-701. PDF.

"I am not a donkey, I don't have a field" - Max Weber

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