John Wakeley discusses theoretical population genetics

Abstract

John R. Wakeley is Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Biology at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University (http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/). His research is theoretical population genetics and molecular evolution, with a focus on the analysis of DNA sequence data, with particular interest in models of population subdivision and the divergence of populations and species. Prof. Wakeley develops statistical models to study genetic and demographic components in the evolution of subpopulations within species. Born in Berkeley, CA, USA, Wakeley obtained a BS and MS in Biology from Stanford University in 1989; he then went on to do a PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley (1994). Following this, he went to the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, Japan (1994–1995), then on to do an NIH postdoc at Rutgers University (1995–1998) and moved to Harvard in 1998.