Research

My current research in the Good Lab at Stanford focuses on developing and analyzing analyzing models to describe fundamental aspects of ecology and evolution, particularly in microbes. I use these models both for data analysis and original theory.

First-step evolution in an assembled community

Microbes often compete for resources in large, complex communities. How do these communities shape evolution, and vice versa? I incorporated small-step evolution into community assembly theory — describing the "typical" behavior of large random communities — to address this question. Now published in Nature Communications.

Rapid evolution in a fluctuating environment

Natural environments, and thus evolutionary pressures, change on many timescales. When environments fluctuate on a similar timescale to evolutionary adaptations, existing theory struggles to predict which mutations will succeed. I am extending traveling wave models of adapting populations to fluctuating environments to address this gap.

B cell migration in human germinal centers

Developing B cells compete in an evolutionary process known as affinity maturation, which selects for B cells capable of targeting novel pathogens in a matter of days. Recent experimental work suggests that B cells are sometimes capable of migrating between spatially separate follicles during this maturation process. With Ivana Cvijović and Benjamin Good, I am characterizing how widespread this migration is, and its potential evolutionary implications.

Functionally random targeting by piRNAs in C. elegans

In my undergraduate work with Ned Wingreen, I studied piRNAs of C. elegans and related organisms, which have a key role in silencing nonself sequences. By analyzing the sequence distribution and binding preferences of piRNAs, I found that piRNAs are capable of targeting a wide range of sequences through functionally random targeting. Now published in Nucleic Acids Research.

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