WHAT WE EXPLORE?

Protists. Our research focuses on eukaryotic microbes, particularly those with plastids. Some of our all-time favourite species are fast-swimming, pond-loving green algae, including ones that can no longer get energy from sunlight (evolutionary burnouts!), like Polytomella. But it’s not all about the microbes: we’ve been known to look at jellyfish, land plants, and even the giant sea scallop.

Genome Architecture. We use microbial eukaryotes to explore and understand the evolutionary forces that fashion genomes, including their shape, size, and content. In short, we love weird and bizarre genomes and trying to figure out how they got that way.

Genetic Diversity. Much of our work involves measuring genetic diversity within and among eukaryotic lineages. We use these data to gain insights into the evolutionary forces impacting genome architecture.

Bioinformatics and Genome Sequencing Culture. We often write about broad issues in bioinformatics and genomics, and how advances in these areas are impacting the scientific community as whole. For examples, see Death of the Genome Paper, Not Seeing the Genomes for the DNA, Learning from Transcriptomes, and The Battle for User-friendly Bioinformatics.

Science Writing & Communication. We are passionate about communicating our research and that of our peers to the broad scientific community and the public as a whole. Our essays and commentaries have appeared in various journals, magazines, and blogs. See Popular Writing for a complete list.