Thomas Flatt

Thomas Flatt is Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Fribourg's Department of Biology (Faculty of Science and Medicine). His research investigates the genetic basis of adaptation, life history evolution, aging, and chromosomal inversion polymorphisms using Drosophila and other model systems.

Flatt's work integrates population genomics, experimental genetics, and physiology to study trade-offs between fitness components. Key areas include the role of balanced inversion polymorphisms in adaptation, genetic mechanisms underlying lifespan-fecundity trade-offs, and seasonal adaptation patterns across Drosophila populations. He co-leads the European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU).

Recent publications (2021-2024) demonstrate expanding focus on genomic architecture of supergenes, host-microbe interactions in aging, transcriptomic methodologies, and global adaptation patterns. His group maintains the DEST genomic resource for Drosophila population studies and employs diverse approaches from theoretical modeling to experimental evolution.