Previous research includes:
- Evolution of cooperation in groups
Although the evolutionary forces that can support the spread of cooperative or mutually beneficial social interactions are fairly well understood, a systematic framework for how to explore proximate mechanisms for such cooperation that is amenable to evolutionary analysis is lacking. In collaboration with Erol Akçay, we have developed a system of studying behavioral objectives that can clarify the ecological requirements for cooperative interactions. - Evolution in variable environments and bet-hedging
We have explored the role that trade offs and fitness asymmetries can have on the conditions for the evolution of bet-hedging. This is of particular relevance to microbial evolution as many microbiologists see random variations in gene expression, a kind of bet-hedging, as a common way for microbes to adapt to variable environments. - Evolution of genomic imprinting
Using tools from population genetics and evolutionary theory, we have explored factors that could explain the evolution of imprinting including genetic interactions such as dominance and a host of demographic factors including sex-specific selection, sex-specific migration, and generation overlap. We have also studied the dynamic effects of imprinting, which include the possibility of complex dynamics and chaos.