

Research Expertise and Interest
population genetics, evolution, genomics, mammalian evolution
Research Description
Michael Nachman is a professor of Integrative Biology and Director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. He and the members of his lab study population, evolutionary, and ecological genetics and genomics. We are broadly interested in the genetic basis of evolutionary change, including the genetics of adaptation and the genetic basis of speciation. Most of our work is on mammals with a particular emphasis on humans and mice. Major current projects include: (1) environmental adaptation in introduced populations of house mice across the Americas, (2) the genetic basis of reproductive isolation between closely related lineages, and (3) the genetic basis of color variation in desert rodents. We use a variety of approaches including field work, controlled crosses in the laboratory, genomic tools, molecular biological approaches, and computational analysis of large datasets.