People - InvestigatorsCharles Daugherty- AWC Director
Charles is an expert in the scientific basis of conservation with research interests focussing on evolutionary and population biology of vertebrates, conservation genetics, and ecological restoration. The conservation biology of tuatara is a longstanding interest, and recent studies with graduate students have examined the ecological relationships of tuatara to seabirds and rats, temperature-dependent sex determination, and the re-establishment of tuatara in nature. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 for Services to Conservation and Biology. Mike Steel - AWC Deputy Director
Mike is the Director of the Canterbury University Biomathematics Research Centre. Together with colleagues he has pioneered the development and application of many techniques for reconstructing and analysing phylogenetic trees and modelling DNA evolution. In 1999 he was awarded the New Zealand Mathematical Society's Medal for Mathematical Research, ‘for his fundamental contributions to the mathematical understanding of phylogeny, demonstrating a capacity for hard creative work in combinatorics and statistics and an excellent understanding of the biological implications of his results.’ Mike is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a James Cook Fellowship recipient (2010-2011). David Bryant
David's research focusses on the mathematical, statistical, and computational aspects of evolutionary biology. Much of his work has been primarily concerned with phylogenetics, the reconstructon of evolutionary history, for example from genetic sequence data. More recently, he has started investigating areas of cross-over between phylogenetics, population genetics and geography. Thomas Buckley
Thomas’ research focuses on systematics, biogeography, speciation, molecular evolution and phylogenetic methods. Study organisms include stick insects, cicadas, fungus-feeding beetles, tortricid moths, earthworms, wetas, onychophorans and terrestrial molluscs. He is particularly interested in the biogeographic origins of the New Zealand biota and evolutionary processes within New Zealand. His interests in systematics also include taxonomy where he is revising the New Zealand stick insect fauna using morphology and genetics. Thomas is also involved in a range of conservation genetics projects on highly threatened invertebrates including terrestrial molluscs, tusked and giant weta. He maintains interests in methods of sequence analysis with an emphasis on likelihood estimation, Bayesian estimation, model selection, tests of topology and coalescent models. Newly developed research directions include transcriptomics and functional genomics of adaptations to environmental stress in stick insects. Alexei DrummondAssociate Professor, Alexei's research program is centered around statistical models and algorithms for population genetics and molecular evolution, including Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and coalescent-based population genetic inference. He is also specifically interested in virus evolutionary dynamics and developing new models for studying phylogeography. Nigel French
Nigel trained as a veterinarian and epidemiologist and currently specializes in research and training in molecular epidemiology, food safety and the control of infectious diseases. He was formerly Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool (personal chair), and is now visiting professor and Honorary Research Fellow at Liverpool. Current research combines microbiology, molecular biology and epidemiological modelling to understand the processes that govern the transmission of infectious microbial pathogens, and determine patterns of genetic diversity. Nigel is actively involved in the development of surveillance tools for infectious diseases of both humans and animals. Mike Hendy
Mike's research interests focus on the phylogentic anaylsis of biological sequence data. Phylogeny is an evolutionary tree depicting the ancestral relationships among a set of species. Common sources of data for inferring phylogenies are nucleotide (DNA, RNA) sequences. His research activity includes the development and analysis of the tools for this analysis. Frequently the data is not sufficient to infer the full detail of the evolutionary history, particularly when the number of sequences is large. In these cases methods which force the data onto a tree can be misleading. A solution is to present a fuller graphical representation, which displays alternative structures, but highlights the relationships which are well supported. Other possibilities include focussing on just one hypothesis, asking questions such as: are kiwis closer to moas or to emus? etc. One useful, but unexpected discovery in this research has been the utility of Hadamard matrices for modelling the evolution of nucleotide sequences. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Mike's contribution to mathematical biology was recognised in the 2009 New Years Honours List where Mike was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Mike was awarded a 2008 New Zealand Science and Technology Award by the New Zealand governement for his mathematical approach to molecular ecology and evolution. Mike also recieved the 2008 New Zealand Mathematical Society Award for "his innovative mathematical approach to molecular ecology and evolution". Pete Lockhart
Endosymbiosis: Symbiosis, endosymbiosis and the origins of organelles is a fascinating subject, fundamental to understanding eukaryotic evolution. Recent collaborative work with colleagues at the Universitaet Marburg involves using genome sequencing and microarray analyses to better understand the relationship between endosymbiotic spheroid bodies and their host diatom Rhopalodia gibba. Evolutionary properties of sequence data: When building phylogenetic trees, sequence evolution is usually modelled as a stationary reversible process. However, in reality it is an asymmetrical process. The extent to which this model misspecification impacts on our ability to reconstruct evolutionary history is under study.. Pete is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a James Cook Fellowship recipient (2010-2011). Lisa Matisoo-Smith
Lisa is involved in a number of research projects focussing on genetic variation in ancient and modern animal populations. Her main interest is in analysis of genetic variation in domestic and commensal animals in the Pacific and the implications for understanding prehistoric human mobility and contact, and ecological impact in the region. This work often focuses on ancient DNA from archaeological remains. She is also interested in evidence of early animal domestication and other animal human interactions in the Asia/Pacific region and is currently involved in research on the Settlement of New Zealand, research on Ancient DNA analyses as evidence of human presence and research projects on genetic variation in a range of species. Craig Millar
In determing the evolutionary and mutation rates in Adelie penguins from the Antarctic Craig uses ancient DNA from well preserved Adelie penguin remains to directly measure the rate of DNA evolution. This novel approach has allowed accurate and precise estimates of the rate of evolution. These data in combination, with earlier estimates of evolutionary rates will provide the first empirical test of neutral theory. The Chatham Island Taiko is one of the world's rarest seabirds and we are using a range of DNA basd techniques to investigate its breeding ecology. Specifically he isinvestigating the relationship between genetic variation and extinction. Nicola Nelson
Nicola's research interests encompass the fields of ecophysiology, sex determination, population ecology, and herpetology. Her current research projects are: Richard Newcomb
Richard is the Science Leader for the Molecular Sensing Team at Plant & Food Research and is Associate Professor in Evolutionary Genetics at the University of Auckland. Our team conducts research into how odours are synthesised and detected by insects and humans. Our major research focus in the Allan Wilson Centre is on the molecular ecology and speciation process in moths, investigating how sex pheromones are synthesised by female moths and detected by conspecific males. Our goal is to understand how these mate recognition systems evolve resulting in new species. Applications of the team's research include the development of an olfactory biosensing device using olfactory receptors from insects and the targeting of foods to different markets by taste and flavour based on understanding genetic variation in human chemosensory receptors. David Penny
David and his research group are actively interested in a wide range of evolutionary questions where DNA sequences are critical. The two aspects of the research are devising better methods for extracting information from DNA sequences and asking important biological questions for testing. The focus of their research is that DNA sequences carry a lot of information or 'signals'. The signals may result from common history (phylogeny), constraints from folding into 2 or 3D forms, constraints from structure of an active site, a systematic mutational bias (such as GC content), and so on. Our research group consists of biologists, molecular biologists and mathematicians. We interact in devising new mathematical methods, such as a discrete Fourier analysis, that helps detect signals that are biologically important. David is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. In 2000 Prof Penny was awarded the Marsden Medal in recognition of the contribution he has made to science in New Zealand. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. In 2004 David was awarded the Rutherford Medal in recognition of his distinguished contributions in theoretical biology, molecular evolution and the analysis of DNA information. David's contribution to science was recognise in the Queen's Honours List of 2006 when he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services for science. Paul Rainey
In Paul's research lab the main research themes integrate a range of scientific disciplines - from experimental evolution, to parasitology, to infectious disease, to the evolution of individuality, to genetics and protein work. Their interests also span several hierarchical levels, from genes (and proteins), the chromosomes, cells, kin-groups through to ecosystems. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Charles Semple
Charles is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Canterbury. His research interests are combinatorics, algorithmics, and computational biology, particularly phylogenetics and matroid theory. Hamish Spencer
Hamish’s primary research interests are in the evolutionary implication of various inheritance systems. For example, he has long been interested in the classical question of what population-genetic processes maintain the genetic variation we observe in so many populations of natural organisms. Recent work with PhD students has involved examining the consequences of frequency-dependent selection and population structure for levels of genetic variation. Similarly, Hamish has worked on the evolutionary and population-level consequences of genomic imprinting – an unusual form of gene expression in mammals and other groups whereby paternally and maternally inherited alleles are expressed differently (often one copy is completely silenced). The evolutionary consequences of phenotypic plasticity are also a research area. Hamish is also interested in the use of phylogenetics to understand evolutionary processes. One project uses an evolutionary tree of the cormorants estimated from genetic data to detect and explain morphological convergence in this group of rather similar birds. Other projects use phylogenies of various molluscan and other invertebrate groups to shed light on ecologically rare but evolutionarily important events, such as parasite host-switching or long-distance dispersal. Another project explores the laws and attitudes surrounding first-cousin marriage in the USA and Western Europe. Previous work conceringd the history of eugenics and what light this history sheds on current controversies in medical genetics. Hamish is also a Principle Investigator with the National Research Centre for Growth and Development and is and Honorary Research Fellow with the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland. He is currently Head of the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago. Hamish was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand for his work on genomic imprinting. Jonathan Waters
Jon has interests in molecular evolution and biogeography. He uses genetic tools to answer fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. He pioneered the use of river capture as a means of calibrating molecular clocks . He recently initiated a novel direction in marine phylogeography using DNA techniques to test the evolutionary and ecological importance of kelp-rafting in the marine environment . In 2006 he was awarded an Otago Early Career Award for Distinction Research. Barbara Holland
Barbara is undertaking collaborative research in Mathematical Biology, particular on problems in evolution, and phylogenetics. She isinterested in methods of exploring phylogenetic data that can show conflicting signals whether they be caused by underlying processes such as hybridisation or simply by uncertainly in the estimation process. She has a project investigating the effect of lineage-specific processes on phylogenetic estimation. Commonly used models do not account for the fact that processes of evolution can change across different lineages in the tree; it is not clear how serious a problem this is likely to be for finding accurate phylogenetic trees. Barbara was awarded the 2008 New Zealand Mathematical Society Early Career Award. Peter Ritchie
Pete isinterested in the evolutionary genetics of species in New Zealand and the Southern Oceans and Antarctica. Current projects include the population genetics of marine and freshwater fishes (e.g., orange roughy, hoki, sharks, wrasses, and rainbow trout), the phylogeography and phylogeny of stream invertebrates (e.g. freshwater mussels and caddisflies), the maintenance of genetic diversity in conservation programmes, and the application of genomics to Antarctic sea ice biodiversity. The aim of his research program is to provide a sound understanding of the pattern and processes that shape population genetic structure in aquatic and terrestrial environments, to identify genes in populations under selection and hence local adaptation, and broaden our knowledge of New Zealand's evolutionary history. Howard Ross
Howard's research focuses on the application of computational and phylogenetic analyses to a wide range of problems including the evolution of bird song, when considered to comprise gene-like memes, the timing and path of human settlement of the Pacific using genomic sequences to determine the species identity of specimens and estimation of adaptive evolution in viral genomes. |
Principal Investigators:
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© 2009, Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology & Evolution |
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Director
Deputy Director
Associate Professor
Scientist,
Landcare Research
Department
of Computer Science, University of Auckland
Director of EpiCentre and Professor of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health
Professor
Professor
Professor
Doctor
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University
Associate
Professor
Professor
Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
Associate Professor
Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University Wellington
Bioinformatics Institute and School of Biological Sciences