I have interest and experience in many biological sub-disciplines (mainly evolution, ecology, genetics), but I have also crossed research boundaries to other research fields, such as environmental, biomedical and social sciences. I work on: 1) effects of environmental pollutants on biota, 2) effects of environmental factors on variability of phenotypes (e.g., maternal nutrition) via meta-analyses of published data, 3) phenotypic sex differences, and 4) research synthesis methods.
My past and current research has two major themes:
Evolution, Ecology & Environmental Sciences
I have published a series of first-author papers on the effects of heavy metal pollution on natural populations of predatory carabid beetles, including on whether the effects can be passed to subsequent generations. I also worked on experimental populations of a beetle Tribiolium castaneum, refining methods for assessment of delayed toxic effects developing molecular sex markers and quantifying genetic diversity across laboratory strains. My contribution to ecotoxicology includes using agent-based modelling to test spatial factors influencing population-level risk assessment for terrestrial arthropods. My evolutionary and genetic work has encompassed investigations of molecular underpinnings of sexual selection and sex differences (which closely relate to part of the proposed project). The paper on the environmental effects on the size of mitochondrial genomes of parasitic nematodes was highlighted as “Editor’s Choice” in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Over the years, my research gradually shifted from empirical work (field- and lab-based) to bioinformatics and computational research. This allowed me to carry on research in a flexible manner, while caring for my children. With this shift, I have played a vital role in projects on gene expression and methylation in zebrafish brains, egg proteomics, genome-wide associations and comparative analyses. I now co-lead projects synthesising effects of persistent and transient environmental pollutants (PFAS, OCP, ALAN) on biota. I have made a major contribution to the current research group by building customised databases, setting research and data pipelines, scripting and visualisations.
Research Synthesis, Meta-analysis & Methodology
Research syntheses, including meta-analyses, rather than producing new empirical data, collate and analyse results of existing studies to obtain a “big picture” of the topic. Not surprisingly, research synthesis is an increasingly popular and important tool across many disciplines. In my research, I uniquely address evolutionary and environmental questions using research synthesis on data from model lab organisms. I published 3 highly regarded meta-analyses on maternal effects based on biomedical literature, I have another 4 similar projects in progress. I also published another 7 cross-species meta-analyses and one on human data (accepted for Nature Communications); I have (co-)guided more syntheses in many topics of ecology and evolution. In parallel to conducting meta-analyses, I have published methodological papers drawing on the issues I encounter in my projects, such as non-independence, allometric scaling, heterogeneity, weighting, and reporting quality.
My past and current research has two major themes:
Evolution, Ecology & Environmental Sciences
I have published a series of first-author papers on the effects of heavy metal pollution on natural populations of predatory carabid beetles, including on whether the effects can be passed to subsequent generations. I also worked on experimental populations of a beetle Tribiolium castaneum, refining methods for assessment of delayed toxic effects developing molecular sex markers and quantifying genetic diversity across laboratory strains. My contribution to ecotoxicology includes using agent-based modelling to test spatial factors influencing population-level risk assessment for terrestrial arthropods. My evolutionary and genetic work has encompassed investigations of molecular underpinnings of sexual selection and sex differences (which closely relate to part of the proposed project). The paper on the environmental effects on the size of mitochondrial genomes of parasitic nematodes was highlighted as “Editor’s Choice” in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Over the years, my research gradually shifted from empirical work (field- and lab-based) to bioinformatics and computational research. This allowed me to carry on research in a flexible manner, while caring for my children. With this shift, I have played a vital role in projects on gene expression and methylation in zebrafish brains, egg proteomics, genome-wide associations and comparative analyses. I now co-lead projects synthesising effects of persistent and transient environmental pollutants (PFAS, OCP, ALAN) on biota. I have made a major contribution to the current research group by building customised databases, setting research and data pipelines, scripting and visualisations.
Research Synthesis, Meta-analysis & Methodology
Research syntheses, including meta-analyses, rather than producing new empirical data, collate and analyse results of existing studies to obtain a “big picture” of the topic. Not surprisingly, research synthesis is an increasingly popular and important tool across many disciplines. In my research, I uniquely address evolutionary and environmental questions using research synthesis on data from model lab organisms. I published 3 highly regarded meta-analyses on maternal effects based on biomedical literature, I have another 4 similar projects in progress. I also published another 7 cross-species meta-analyses and one on human data (accepted for Nature Communications); I have (co-)guided more syntheses in many topics of ecology and evolution. In parallel to conducting meta-analyses, I have published methodological papers drawing on the issues I encounter in my projects, such as non-independence, allometric scaling, heterogeneity, weighting, and reporting quality.
