Advisory Board and Editors Evolutionary Studies
Regina L Cunha
I am interested in integrating phylogeographic and molecular approaches to infer evolutionary processes that explain current patterns of genetic diversity in marine organisms, particularly on isolated oceanic islands. I have worked on natural populations of marine snails from Cape Verde to address problems of speciation and geographic variation and to analyse the influence of historical processes, as the effect of sea-level changes on the genetic structure of organisms. Currently, I am interested in the identification of gamete recognition proteins involved in reproductive incompatibilities and their role in the evolution of non-geographic barriers that, ultimately, may generate sympatric divergence.
Kenneth De Baets
I am a paleobiologist. My main research focuses on reproductive strategies and macroevolution, particularly on the contributions of biotic interactions (e.g., parasitism) and abiotic factors (e.g., climate) in controlling evolutionary and diversity patterns. To this end, I work with a variety of approaches that combine research on fossil molluscs, coprolites and fieldwork with large-scale quantitative analyses. Other interests are quantitative methods to study biostratigraphy, intraspecific variability and paleobiology in general. My main taxonomic expertise is on invertebrates, mainly (extinct) cephalopod mollusks and parasitic helminths. The promotion of diversity and young scientists as well as scientific collaboration and reproducibility in paleontology are particularly close to my heart.
Natasha de Vere
Head of Conservation and Research at the National Botanic Garden of Wales and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University.
Robert O Deaner
I earned my PhD in the Department of Biological Anthropology & Anatomy at Duke University (1995 – 2001), and my advisor was Carel van Schaik. Although I conducted some research on wild primates, my doctoral research consisted of comparative studies of primate life history, social systems, and cognition.
I did postdoctoral research in Duke’s Department of Neurobiology (2001-2006), and my supervisor was Michael Platt. My research focused on mechanisms of social attention in primates. During this time I took up distance running and began investigating sex differences in performance and motivation.
In 2006, I joined the Psychology Department at Grand Valley State University.
Sushanta Deb
Dr. Sushanta Deb earned his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Microbial Genomics. During his early postdoctoral research, he focused on microbial ecology, microbiomes, probiotics, and comparative genomics. He later served as a Project Scientist at AIIMS Delhi, India. Currently, as a Postdoctoral Associate at Washington State University (WSU), USA, his research primarily centers on comparative genomics and metagenomics.
Bryn TM Dentinger
Head of Mycology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Christophe Dessimoz
SNSF Professor at the University of Lausanne, Reader at University College London, and Group Leader of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Agnes Dettai
Associate professor at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. Curator of the fish barcode collection.
I study the systematics and evolution of Actinopterygians, especially at the inter/intra specific boundary and in species delineation with integrative approaches, but also on the evolution of mitogenomes in fish species from the Southern Ocean. I also work on molecular identification (barcoding, metabarcoding) of marine and freshwater fish and benthic species.
Douglas S Domingues
I am an Assistant Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics at the "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Brazil. My main interests are devoted to understanding gene and genome evolution in plants, working on genome-wide analyses, including transcriptional analyses of gene families relevant to plant metabolism, RNA-seq analyses in plants, as well as studies on non-coding RNAs and transposable elements.
Timothy P Driscoll
Associate Professor at West Virginia University Department of Biology. PhD in Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology from Virginia Tech. Our research centers on the distribution, evolution, and design of interventions for zoonotic and vector-borne infectious diseases. I focus on Rickettsiales and other intracellular pathogens, using phylogenomics and related approaches to understand virulence and pathogenicity.
Szymon M Drobniak
I’m a scientist working at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland) and the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia). I study biological evolution, with particular interest in quantitative genetics, phenotypic plasticity, evolution of colour and colourful signals, and sexual selection. In my work, I use extensively complex statistical tools and multi-level modelling. Apart from empirical studies, I conduct meta-analyses and comparative analyses, synthesising existing evidence and developing new ways of summarizing empirical evidence.
Robert Druzinsky
I am an evolutionary biologist and functional morphologist with diverse interests. My major focus is on the evolution of the masticatory apparatus of mammals, particularly rodents. I am also working on an anatomy ontology for muscles of the head and neck in tetrapods. I also study the biomechanics of teeth, as well as the neurophysiology of mastication.