As an evolutionary geneticist, I am interested in studying the genetic conflicts that arise within species when different groups of individuals (and their genes) are subject to divergent selective pressures. Nature is replete with conflict, much of which stems from the fact that there are too few assets (be they nutrients, shelters, mates etc...) to satisfy the needs of everyone, and that the fitness maximizing strategies of some individuals are often incompatible with those of others. Unlike in other systems where evolutionary conflicts exist (e.g. in predator-prey or host-parasite systems), when conflict arises within a species (such as between males and females over reproductive decisions, or between maternally and paternally-inherited genes), both groups are forced to share the same gene pool. This sets the stage for evolution to proceed in an antagonistic manner, where selection may favour the spread of traits in a population that increase reproductive success in one group, even if they come at the expense of the fitness of the other group. Ultimately such intra-specific conflicts could result in an open-ended co-evolutionary 'arms race' for manipulative traits in one group, and selection for resistance to manipulation in the other, and may be an extremely important factor in shaping a species' evolutionary trajectory.

Viewing selection processes though this antagonistic framework is a fairly new approach, but has the potential to revolutionize the field of evolutionary biology. To investigate these processes, I employ a number of different, but complementary approaches: (1) experiments involving laboratory-based "island" populations of model organisms (2) cytogenetic cloning techniques to capture and replicate genome-wide haplotypes of model organisms which can then be assayed for traits relevant to fitness in both sexes, (3) the experimental evolution of laboratory populations in order to elucidate the manner and tempo of evolutionary change and (4) comparative interspecific studies of phenotypic variation in fitness-relevant traits. Ultimately, the long-tern goal of my research is to understand how genetic conflicts fuel the processes of adaptive change by promoting evolutionary arms races.