John Wakeley

John Wakeley

Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
[Not accepting new graduate students for AY 2023-2024]
John Wakeley

Population samples of DNA sequences contain information about both contemporary and ancient processes and events. I use mathematical models to describe how these current and historical factors conspire to produce the patterns of genetic variation which are readily observable among individuals within species. I employ both analytical and computational techniques to make inferences about these factors from patterns of genetic variation. 

The field I work in is called Theoretical Population Genetics. Follow the publications link on the left for a list of references and articles to download for your fair use. These articles cover a number of topics, mainly in the sub-field called Coalescent Theory in which the objects of study are patterns of ancestral genetic relationships, or gene genealogies. You will find a bunch of articles about the genetics of subdivided populations with restricted migration, but also others about populations in which one or a few individuals can have very large numbers of offspring, and about a problem that has been overlooked in Coalescent Theory: that all loci in the genome have been transmitted through a single population pedigree. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading these. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me by email at the address below. 

Much of this work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the NIH.

Contact Information

16 Divinity Avenue
Biological Laboratories Building, 4096
Cambridge, MA 02138
p: (617) 495-1564