My pronouns are she/her
My research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of sociality, specifically using insect societies to explore the behavioural and ecological characteristics associated with the evolution of eusocial group formation. While the role of high relatedness in this context is well established, the question of why this behaviour has evolved in some lineages but not others remains unresolved. In my exciting new role with the West/Griffin group, I will be using broad-scale comparative analyses to explore these questions, particularly focusing on how interactions between diverse life history characteristics such as aspects of mating behaviour (inbreeding, monandry), parental care, method of group formation as well as opportunities for direct reproduction have shaped the spread of sociality in insects.
