https://payseur.genetics.wisc.edu/outreach.html

Payseur Laboratory University of Wisconsin-Madison

Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics

The Payseur lab invites applications for a new postdoctoral position in genetics and genomics!

Exciting new advances in DNA sequencing and genotyping technology have begun to reveal the depth and significance of genomic variation among organisms. The causes of this variation are evolutionary, and the amazing accumulation of data on the genomic scale has firmly positioned population and evolutionary geneticists at the center of this biological revolution. Our research combines the power of genomic data with concepts and tools from population genetics to draw insights on deep, long-standing questions about the evolutionary process and the nature of genetic variation.

Research in the Payseur laboratory is motivated by intriguing and long-standing questions about the mechanisms of biological evolution. How does one species become two? How do organisms adapt to new environments? What determines the sex ratio of a population? What forces are responsible for trait variation within and between species? We use concepts and tools from genetics and genomics to address these questions. We study humans and house mice as model systems.

Bret Payseur, Principal Investigator - payseur@wisc.edu

Bret uses genetics and genomics to understand evolution. He studies a wide range of evolutionary topics, including speciation, natural selection, and recombination. Bret earned a bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Anthropology from the University of Colorado, a Master’s degree in Evolutionary Biology from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona. He received postdoctoral training at Cornell University. Bret enjoys helping his students discover the power and excitement of scientific research. Outside the lab, Bret is fascinated by psychology, history, and politics. He loves stimulating conversation, seafood, and live jazz. Bret feels very fortunate to live in Madison.

Genetics of Speciation

Evolution of Recombination

Population Genomics

Evolution on Islands

Morphological Evolution

Exciting new advances in DNA sequencing and genotyping technology have begun to reveal the depth and significance of genomic variation among organisms. The causes of this variation are evolutionary, and the amazing accumulation of data on the genomic scale has firmly positioned population and evolutionary geneticists at the center of this biological revolution. Our research combines the power of genomic data with concepts and tools from population genetics to draw insights on deep, long-standing questions about the evolutionary process and the nature of genetic variation.

Evolutionary literacy is low in the United States. As evolutionary educators, we bear much of the responsibility for this challenge. Members of our lab participate in public outreach activities to raise awareness about the importance of evolutionary understanding for diverse areas, including medicine, agriculture, and conservation. Bret was recently featured on Wisconsin public radio to discuss the importance of Darwin’s outlook for modern society. Bret also spoke at UW-Madison’s Darwin Day, a celebration intended to engage the public in dialogue about the implications of evolutionary thought for our lives. Bret and his graduate students serve on committees for the UW Evolution Initiative, which includes outreach activities that target K-12 education. In the near future, Bret is planning to work with the Wisconsin Teacher Enhancement Program to develop new evolutionary curricula for high school biology teachers in the state.