Michael Whitlock

Michael Whitlock is a Professor at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, specializing in evolutionary genetics and population biology. His research focuses on evolution in structured populations, examining how realistic population dynamics affect genetic variance, adaptation, and selection mechanisms.

• Education: B.S. from Baylor University, Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University
• Research Themes: Population genetics, local adaptation, FST/QST analyses, epistasis, climate change impacts on evolution
• Current Projects: Genomic data interpretation for adaptation, urban rat pathogen studies, rainbow trout divergence, BC conifer climate adaptation

His work integrates theoretical models with experimental approaches using Drosophila melanogaster and field studies. Recent publications emphasize genotype-environment associations, multigenerational environmental effects, and statistical methods for population genetics.

Scientific Recognition:

• Molecular Ecology Prize (2024) for population genetics contributions
• Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (2019)
• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011)
• Teaching Excellence Award, Science Undergraduate Society (2011)

He co-authored the textbook The Analysis of Biological Data and developed statistical visualization tools used globally. His lab investigates small population dynamics, reproductive isolation evolution, and genetic robustness mechanisms.