People

Sinead Collins (PI)

I'm interested in how large populations of small organisms adapt to complex environmental changes. Since that's a bit too vague, I focus on how marine phytoplankton adapt to ocean acidification. I use experimental evolution in the lab to figure out the basic theory involved, and then head off to collaborate with oceanographers to apply it to marine systems.

I also just like microbes, especially the green ones. They're the invisible drivers of ecosystems, they do stuff that can only be described as "very cool", and they're insanely beautiful. How could I resist?

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Heidi Kuehne (Research Assistant)

I am broadly interested in the evolution of natural microbial populations and specifically interested in the interplay of migration, mating system, and selection as forces that shape microbial population structure. My background is rooted in population genetics and experimental evolution. My PhD work (University of Pennsylvania) uncovered the sympatric population genetic structures of the closely-related yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. paradoxus sampled in oak woodlands in North America and Eurasia. 

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Ilkka Kronholm (Post Doc)

I'm a post-doc in the Collins group working on the Epigenetics project. Epigenetics is a new field and lot of people have gotten very excited about it.

Unfortunately this means that in the literature there are some claims that properly over exaggerate its importance to evolution. However, there are some ways in which epigenetics could affect evolutionary outcomes. We are currently doing theoretical and empirical work that will generate some of the much needed data in the field.

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Matias Scheinin

Matias Schienin works on detecting evolution in diatom communities in CO₂- enriched marine mesocosms as part of the BIOACID project.

Elisa Schaum (PhD candidate)

PhD student

Generally, I am interested in everything small and green. This includes but is not limited to Yoda and marine green algae, for example members of the genus Ostreococcus, which are among the smallest known free-living eukaryotes.

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Georgina Brennan (PhD candidate)

PhD Student

I am interested in how climate change will affect adaptation in natural populations.  I am particularly interested in phytoplankton communities which are key drivers of global change responsible for half the photosynthetic carbon uptake on the planet and play a key role in determining atmospheric levels of CO₂.   

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