Inaugural Lecture by Professor Peter Ritchie
Join Professor Peter Ritchie for his inaugural lecture exploring how evolution, genetic drift, and adaptation shape species in a changing world.
Description
Genes to Genomes: A Journey from Drift to Adaptation
This lecture traces a research journey through the rapidly changing field of evolutionary genetics. It begins with studies using a small number of genetic markers to reconstruct the histories of populations and understand how migration, isolation, and genetic drift shape variation within species.
The arrival of whole-genome sequencing transformed the field. Instead of examining a few fragments of DNA, we can now study variation across entire genomes, providing new insights into population connectivity, evolutionary history and importantly, the genetic variation associated with adaptation.
Professor Peter Ritchie’s research group has explored these questions across a wide range of species, with a particular focus on marine fishes. Their large populations and distributions across diverse environmental gradients make them ideal for investigating the interplay between genetic drift, natural selection, and adaptation. Using examples from this work, Professor Ritchie will reflect on how advances in genomic technology have transformed both his research and our understanding of evolution in natural populations. These capabilities have arrived at a critical time, allowing us to investigate how and where species may be adapting to a changing climate.