About me
I am a theoretical biologist who uses mathematics and computation to address fundamental biological questions. I am interested in the interplay between evolution and development, and in how this interplay has generated diversity in biological organization at different scales. Specific research topics include the origins of multicellular development, evolution in changing environments, and color pattern evo-devo (see recent publications below).
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, working with Corina Tarnita. I will move to Washington University in St. Louis as an Assistant Professor in 2026. My group will be recruiting at all levels and people from any background are encouraged to apply. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining the group!
Recent publications
|
Ecological principles for the evolution of communication in collective systems
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291: 20241562 (2024)
We derive ecological conditions for the evolution of communication in a collective context and show how diverse communication strategies used by social insects (e.g., honeybee waggle dance, trail pheromones, antennal contacts) can be explained theoretically as adaptations to different ecological circumstances.
|
|
|
Development shapes the evolutionary diversification of rodent stripe patterns
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 120 (45), e2312077120 (2023)
We systematically describe the diversity of rodent stripe patterns and show how it can be in part explained from simple developmental principles. We do so by using an integrated approach that combines recent molecular insights, pattern formation models, and phylogenetic analysis.
|
|
|
When being flexible matters: ecological underpinnings for the evolution of collective flexibility and task allocation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 119 (18), e2116066119 (2022)
We develop a general theoretical framework
for the evolution of task allocation in variable environments, applicable to multicellular organisms and social insect colonies.
We derive simple and general conditions for the evolution of collective flexibility, and propose potential theoretical explanations for some puzzling empirical observations.
|
|