Research profile
I am an evolutionary ecologist who defines herself primarily as a theoretician — but one who loves working with empiricists and also hopes to improve communication between these approaches. My research is based on understanding why evolution is far more multifaceted than a vague notion of fitness of organisms continually improving over time. Even a quick look at nature during a walk outdoors reveals a fascinating diversity of life forms – there is no unique best solution to the problem of how to exist and proliferate. For example, lifespans vary enormously in nature, therefore, successful organisms can come in ‘all shapes and sizes’. However, this at the same time does not mean that evolution is all about idiosyncratic (species-specific) innovations; instead, there is a wonderful tension between generalizable rules and specific circumstances, predicting diversity. My work involves making the above musings mathematically precise, thus aligning with the vision of bringing quantitativeness into life sciences.
Biography
Positions held
Since 2023
Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
2014 – 2022
Professor of Evolutionary Ecology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2014
Short-term Fellow (2.5 months), Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Germany
2010 – 2014
Australian Laureate Fellow & Professor of Evolutionary Ecology, Australian National University, Australia
2009 – 2010
Sabbatical year at the Australian National University, Australia
2004 – 2010
Professor of Animal Ecology, University of Helsinki, Finland
2003 – 2004
Academy Research Fellow, University of Helsinki, Finland
2002 – 2003
Lecturer, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
2000 – 2002
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow, University of Glasgow, UK
1998 – 2000
Marie Curie Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
Education
1997
PhD, “Evolution of honest sexual displays”, University of Helsinki, Finland