Personal Statement
My background is in evolutionary biology, including a focus on computational approaches to phylogenetics and evolutionary modelling. I have particular interests in why plant metabolisms can be so diverse, and how to measure whether evolutionary convergence is an inevitability, and a longstanding interest in the evolutionary consequences of investment in defences by organisms.

Research Overview
My research is in:

1) Animal Communication, with a focuses on the stability of communication systems which are vulnerable to cheating. I use advertisement of prey defences as a case-study in communication, especially where animals use costly, bright colouration to signal to their enemies.

2) Evolutionary Bioinformatics Research: focuses on generating statistical measures to evaluate the predictability of phenotype evolution. It asks, are life’s forms limited by the narrow range of engineering solutions to life’s challenges?

3) Coevolution and plant secondary metabolites - seeks general explanations for the notorious diversification of plant metabolisms.