معرفی
Roman Yukilevich is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Union College. He specializes in evolutionary biology, focusing on speciation mechanisms in Drosophila species. His research integrates field observations, laboratory experiments, and population genetics to understand how reproductive isolation evolves. He currently studies the Drosophila athabasca complex, examining sexual and ecological traits across populations and performing artificial selection experiments.
Education: B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago; Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stony Brook University.
Research interests include evolutionary genetics of complex traits, sexual selection dynamics, and the role of behavioral divergence in speciation. His work combines empirical studies with theoretical modeling to explore broad evolutionary patterns across diverse organisms.
Recent publications emphasize coevolutionary interactions between sexual and habitat isolation, artificial selection experiments on speciation traits, and multivariate analysis of speciation continua. His NSF-funded research investigates how search costs of mate choice influence speciation via sexual selection.
Laboratory activities involve undergraduates in fieldwork, behavioral assays, and molecular analyses. Collaborative projects include cuticular hydrocarbon profiling and synthetic biology approaches to study speciation signals in Drosophila.
