In collaboration with Joe Parker (Caltech), Matt has synthesized recent research using single cell RNA-seq. We make the case that this work provides a new opportunity to understand the genetic and cellular basis of evolutionary novelty. This paper is now out in Current Biology.
The applied phylogenetics lab
We are primarily driven by two questions. First, how do genetic mechanisms and evolutionary processes happening at one scale influence the patterns of diversity we observe at larger scales? Second, how can we leverage comparative data to make discoveries about genetic mechanisms and processes? Addressing both of these questions requires taking a phylogenetic perspective – making use of the historical relationships connecting different lineages. We work at multiple levels of biological organization, from genes to cells to individuals to populations to species, and pair mathematical modeling with empirical data.
Macroevolution and the genotype-phenotype map
We work to understand the origins of phenotypic diversity and the evolution of the genetic architecture that underlies it.
Macroevolution and the genotype-phenotype map
We work to understand the origins of phenotypic diversity and the evolution of the genetic architecture that underlies it.
Evolutionary immunology
We use phylogenetic approaches to understand the evolutionary dynamics of antibodies and the genes that encode them.
Evolutionary immunology
We use phylogenetic approaches to understand the evolutionary dynamics of antibodies and the genes that encode them.
Lineage diversification
We seek general explanations for why some lineages are so much more diverse than others and to characterize how much we can learn from phylogenetic data about this phenomenon.
Lineage diversification
We seek general explanations for why some lineages are so much more diverse than others and to characterize how much we can learn from phylogenetic data about this phenomenon.
Our Team
We’re a diverse group of people, with a diverse set of backgrounds, interests, and expertise. We are united by a shared passion for applying rigorous quantitative reasoning and evolutionary principles to understand biological phenomena. We are based in Cornell University’s Department of Computational Biology in Gorges Ithaca, NY.
Interested in joining the lab?
We are always on the lookout for smart, ambitious people to join our team. If you’re interested in working alongside us on cool problems, please get in touch.
lab updates
In a new paper now out in PNAS, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate whether convergent instances of metabolic innovation in yeasts are underlain by the same or different gene families. Congrats to Kyle David and Josh Schraiber for their exciting discoveries. Check out the paper here.
Yixin Zhu’s paper describing a new approach (which we call CloseRead) for evaluating the quality of the assembly of Immunogloubin (IG) loci is now published at Genome Biology. Check out the paper here and the software on our GitHub page.
