One of my main areas of investigation concerns the science of ecology and how it differs from other disciplines such as evolutionary biology. What is distinctive about an ecological approach to the world? Only by answering this question can we develop a theory of what it means to do ecology well or poorly. I am also interested in the status of ecological generalizations or "laws" and their roles in explanation, prediction, and ecosystem management. This ties in with questions about the nature and value of biodiversity. Why should we value species and ecosystems? Should  they sometimes be conserved on aesthetic grounds alone? Here are some representative publications on these topics - see my CV for a more expansive list.

My interest in genomics focuses on three related issues. First, I am somewhat concerned about the rise of Big Biology and its relationship to biomedicine. Projects like the Human Genome Project and ENCODE change the intellectual landscape in ways that might not be good for the accumulation of knowledge. Second, I am interested in how the concepts of function and junk DNA have been modified in recent years, partly to suit the goals of these large biomedical projects. Specifically, I think it is a mistake to divorce functional genomics from the study of genome evolution. Finally, I am concerned about the hype surrounding epigenetics. Although some very impressive and important work is being done on the regulation of genes by non-genic entities, I suspect that the significance of these entities for organismal evolution and development tends to be overstated. Here are some publications on these topics. 

I also work at the interface between genomics and ecology. An emerging discipline called genome-level ecology applies ecological thinking to mobile strands of DNA. Transposable elements or "jumping genes" are viewed in this discipline as miniature organisms in their own right. The cellular structures with which they interact are regarded as the local environment. Concepts, models, and methods borrowed from population and community ecology are then applied to "ecological" processes within the cell. My contributions to this discipline have been in collaboration with scientists at the University of Guelph. Here are some publications. Again, my CV goes into more detail.

My previous work has explored issues in cultural evolution, the nature of human emotion, and the concept of innateness. I have also written on the topic of public aquariums, arguing that they should be viewed as "plexiglass dinosaurs." I am proud of some of this research and will provide a few examples below. However, at the moment most of my energy goes to ecology, genomics, and the overlap between them. I am most  interested in supervising grad students in these areas. But if you are enthusiastic about cultural evolution or the philosophy of emotion, for example, let me know. Perhaps we can work together.

Finally, I am involved in an ongoing research project on social dynamics in the Gloomy Octopus (O. tetricus). Here are some example papers.