Mission Statement

The department is addressing a simple, but not easily answered question in biology: What are the mechanisms that underlie variation in adaptive traits?

As a first step, the genes that create phenotypic diversity are being defined. The long-term goal is to integrate a mechanistic understanding of genetic networks controlling specific traits with knowledge of the adaptive significance of variation in these traits. This combination should enable us to unravel the mechanisms underlying adaptive change, and to predict the performance of populations under changing environmental conditions.

Go to an overview of research pursued in the department, or explore the topics of the different research groups.