Research Interests
Anthropogenic Impacts on Eco-Evolutionary Processes
I am keen to understand the impact human society has on natural ecological and evolutionary processes, e.g. through pollution, climate change, and urbanization. Insects are critical links in most ecological networks. Unfortunately, since the 90s, there are consistent indications of a wide collapse of insect populations, making it critical to understand the connection between humans and nature. Many of my recent projects involve evolutionary rescue, a strong candidate mechanism for natural population recovery under climate change. Some of my PhD research also focused on behavioural changes in new environments and their impact on insect fitness.
Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics & Community Stability
The "ecological theater" and the "evolutionary play" are inextricably intertwined, and no life exists in a vacuum. Some of my dissertation work focused on understanding ancestral variation in trait to long-term adaptation (eco-to-evo). During my postdoc, I extended this to explore how rapid evolution can impose ecological changes (evo-to-eco), via population dynamics or changes in inter-specific interactions. My current research at the Czech Academy of Sciences is strongly grounded in this theme.
I am keen to understand the impact human society has on natural ecological and evolutionary processes, e.g. through pollution, climate change, and urbanization. Insects are critical links in most ecological networks. Unfortunately, since the 90s, there are consistent indications of a wide collapse of insect populations, making it critical to understand the connection between humans and nature. Many of my recent projects involve evolutionary rescue, a strong candidate mechanism for natural population recovery under climate change. Some of my PhD research also focused on behavioural changes in new environments and their impact on insect fitness.
Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics & Community Stability
The "ecological theater" and the "evolutionary play" are inextricably intertwined, and no life exists in a vacuum. Some of my dissertation work focused on understanding ancestral variation in trait to long-term adaptation (eco-to-evo). During my postdoc, I extended this to explore how rapid evolution can impose ecological changes (evo-to-eco), via population dynamics or changes in inter-specific interactions. My current research at the Czech Academy of Sciences is strongly grounded in this theme.
Past Projects
Academia
Ancestral and demographic determinants of population performance adapting to a novel environment
For my dissertation, I used experimental evolution to identify correlates of adaptation at the population level. This was an enormous and very satisfying project to manage - it lasted 6 years and generated >10000 data points. Using ten phenotypically distinct populations of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), evolving in three different resources, I asked what ancestral phenotypic distributions correlated with population performance during adaptation. Which fitness components mattered during adaptation?
In collaboration with some of my colleagues from the Adaptation Lab, I collected a large population dynamic dataset (for 70+ generations of experimental evolution) to address these questions. Find the preprint here.
For my dissertation, I used experimental evolution to identify correlates of adaptation at the population level. This was an enormous and very satisfying project to manage - it lasted 6 years and generated >10000 data points. Using ten phenotypically distinct populations of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), evolving in three different resources, I asked what ancestral phenotypic distributions correlated with population performance during adaptation. Which fitness components mattered during adaptation?
In collaboration with some of my colleagues from the Adaptation Lab, I collected a large population dynamic dataset (for 70+ generations of experimental evolution) to address these questions. Find the preprint here.
Evolutionary ecology of niche preference in a generalist beetle
I also worked on a behaviour project that spurred a lot of new findings. I ran experiments to understand behavioural preferences of a beetle, and how these behaviours responded to changes in the environment. I absolutely love studying behaviour - this involved a lot of A/B testing, but with insects!
I found that context changes behaviour, highlighting the nuances of behaviours, even in insects. Moreover, female oviposition behaviour aligns with a classic evolutionary tradeoff in the red flour beetle (Ravi Kumar et al, 2023). Finally, changes in larval feeding may support resource use generalism in this species (Ravi Kumar et al 2018, graphical abstract). Find a talk I gave about this here.
I also worked on a behaviour project that spurred a lot of new findings. I ran experiments to understand behavioural preferences of a beetle, and how these behaviours responded to changes in the environment. I absolutely love studying behaviour - this involved a lot of A/B testing, but with insects!
I found that context changes behaviour, highlighting the nuances of behaviours, even in insects. Moreover, female oviposition behaviour aligns with a classic evolutionary tradeoff in the red flour beetle (Ravi Kumar et al, 2023). Finally, changes in larval feeding may support resource use generalism in this species (Ravi Kumar et al 2018, graphical abstract). Find a talk I gave about this here.
Evolution of male-to-male aggression under varying levels of sexual conflict
For my master's dissertation, I worked on real-time behaviour - studying male fly aggression in petri-plates. I would record several instances of males interacting with each other in a petri-plate and rewatch these to score different behaviours. This tested a core prediction in evolutionary theory about sexual conflict. I worked with laboratory selection lines of the fruit fly that evolved under three levels of sexual conflict, in Dr. N.G. Prasad's lab for over 100 generations under three sex ratios (3:1 ♂:♀; 1:1 ♂:♀, and 1:3 ♂:♀).
I found that male-to-male aggression grew higher in the male-biased lines, using a self-developed temporal sampling strategy to reliably construct ethograms of distinct aggressive behaviours.
For my master's dissertation, I worked on real-time behaviour - studying male fly aggression in petri-plates. I would record several instances of males interacting with each other in a petri-plate and rewatch these to score different behaviours. This tested a core prediction in evolutionary theory about sexual conflict. I worked with laboratory selection lines of the fruit fly that evolved under three levels of sexual conflict, in Dr. N.G. Prasad's lab for over 100 generations under three sex ratios (3:1 ♂:♀; 1:1 ♂:♀, and 1:3 ♂:♀).
I found that male-to-male aggression grew higher in the male-biased lines, using a self-developed temporal sampling strategy to reliably construct ethograms of distinct aggressive behaviours.
Industry
Stroke epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical outcomes
During a gap year following the completion of my PhD, I consulted for Turtle Shell Technologies, a startup focused making healthcare accessible to a larger patient population in India. I conducted secondary research and prepared an easy-to-digest report for different stakeholders evaluating the global and local disease burden of different neurological diseases. I identified stroke as a primary research focus because stroke intervention innovations promised to have a very high impact on alleviating disease burden, both globally and in India.
Doing research in a non-academic setting helped me learn how to approach a research problem flexibly, from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders.
During a gap year following the completion of my PhD, I consulted for Turtle Shell Technologies, a startup focused making healthcare accessible to a larger patient population in India. I conducted secondary research and prepared an easy-to-digest report for different stakeholders evaluating the global and local disease burden of different neurological diseases. I identified stroke as a primary research focus because stroke intervention innovations promised to have a very high impact on alleviating disease burden, both globally and in India.
Doing research in a non-academic setting helped me learn how to approach a research problem flexibly, from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders.