We currently have two main projects.

We address basic questions in evolution and use Saccharomyces yeasts as a model.

First, we are interested in biofilms— cooperative microbial communities attached to a surface and with specialization among cell types. Biofilms are evolutionarily stable and represent the oldest form of fossilized life. They are also associated with pathogenicity and virulence. We are interested in understanding yeast biofilms: whether or not natural S. cerevisiae strains exhibit biofilm and multicellular phenotypes and whether these traits are related to virulence. We are also interested in the genetic basis of biofilm formation in yeast. We are using experimental evolution and quantitative trait analysis to determine how the ability to form biofilms evolves.

Second, we are interested in natural selection acting on different levels of biological organization, specifically the relationship between prions and yeast. Prions are misfolded proteins that have the ability to misfold other proteins of the same type: they are self-replicating. Their effect can range from causing neurological disease to helping fungi mate. We want to understand their dynamics within cells and the effect hat has on hosts.