We are interested in why different species, and different individuals within the same species, exhibit variation in both their patterns of larval dispersal and reproductive strategies. Research in this area seeks to understand how larval dispersal influences the evolution of phenotypic plasticity, how dispersal and plasticity affect the capacity for populations to adapt to changing conditions, how restricted or stochastic dispersal influences genetic differentiation among populations and coancestry within them, and how dispersal and reproductive strategies co-evolve. The central question we are addressing at the moment is: what are the causes and ecological consequences of local kin structure in benthic marine organisms? We combine highly informative genetic markers (thousands of SNPs), experimental progeny arrays to validate estimates of genetic relatedness and estimate inbreeding and outbreeding, and manipulative experiments in field and lab settings in tractable model organisms to test hypotheses that are broadly applicable across species, but are logistically challenging to address in most other species.
Training and mentoring to develop an independent research program and competitiveness for jobs, experimental design and statistical modelling, translating and testing theory with empirical approaches, organismal biology and natural history, and the analysis of population genetic data. Career skills include manuscript writing and oral presentations (including job talks), how to manage multiple tasks, write grant proposals, and set up a research lab.