Evolution × Environment → Genetic Variation + Complex Traits

THeLab studies how genetic variation shapes complex traits across a spectrum of biological systems using population genetics, statistical modeling, and multi-omic data.

What We Do

Evolution and population genetics

Complex evolutionary forces shape patterns of genetic variation.

• Classic sweeps were rare in recent human evolution
• Background selection × demographic history produce complex patterns of genetic variation

Ancestry and population diversity

Human populations form a continuum shaped by demographic history and admixture.

• Genomic ancestry in Mexican Americans has shifted rapidly in recent generations
• Admixture mapping identifies ancestry-associated genetic effects across populations

 

Multi-omics and complex traits

Multi-omic data link molecular phenotypes to health, disease, and treatment response.

• Ultrarare variants contribute substantially to the heritability of gene expression
• The metabolome reflects treatment response and clinical outcomes in premature infants

Join THeLab, and together we will make discoveries at the intersection of population genetics, computation, and complex traits.