معرفی
Douglas Taylor is a Commonwealth Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at the University of Virginia. He also serves as Director of the Distinguished Major Program. His research focuses on population genetics, molecular evolution, and evolutionary processes in invasive species, with a particular emphasis on genetic conflict mechanisms like selfish genes and mitochondrial diseases. His work integrates phylogenetics, field experiments, and theoretical models to understand how selection operates across biological hierarchies.
- Education:
- B.S., Queen's University, 1986
- M.S., Queen's University, 1988
- Ph.D., Duke University, 1993
- Lab: Taylor Lab (website linked)
Research interests include studying how spatial population structure influences evolution, the interplay of selection at different organizational levels, and the genomic consequences of invasive species range expansions. Key projects examine mitochondrial genome dynamics in plants like Silene latifolia and Silene vulgaris, as well as evolutionary genetics of salamanders and symbiotic interactions between bees and nematodes. His work frequently addresses fundamental questions about adaptation, mutation rates, and the genetic basis of phenotypic variation.
Publications span over three decades, with recent emphases on mitochondrial tRNA evolution, cytonuclear interactions, and genomic signatures of admixture in invasive populations. His grants include NSF-funded projects on metapopulation genetics and mitochondrial genome evolution in Silene species.
He oversees the Taylor Lab, which collaborates on interdisciplinary projects bridging field ecology, molecular genetics, and computational biology. No specific student advisees are listed in the provided materials.
