Tempo & Mode

I am currently doing a PhD with Lindell Bromham, and am based at ANU and at the University of Sussex, in the UK.

I am interested in two areas of research: –
Firstly, the tempo and mode of molecular evolution. I am interested in how substitution rates may be affected by different life history traits. Observations of a body size effect in vertebrates have raised hopes that rate variation might be predictable, potentially allowing a ‘corrected’ molecular clock. Using comparative methods, I am interested in examining correlates of substitution rate, e.g. life history traits such as body size and generation time or ecological factors such as population size or UV exposure.

I am also interested in the practical applications of molecular phylogenetic analysis.
I am currently investigating the evolutionary origins of salt tolerance in plants. In collaboration with Prof. Tim Flowers at the University of Sussex, I am investigating the patterns of salt tolerance across the angiosperms: Salt resistance seems to have evolved multiple times in the angiosperm lineage, yet it is a very difficult trait to select for in agriculture. I am using phylogenetics methods to investigate this paradox and to identify how many times halophily may have evolved.