The Theoretical Biology group develops theory in two major research areas: evolutionary ecology and self-organization. Current research projects focus on evolutionary game theory, life history theory, evolutionary immunology, kin selection, sex determination, sex allocation, sexual selection, sexual conflict, metapopulation genetics, sympatric speciation, allometric scaling laws, resource and interference competition, host-parasite co-evolution, and the emergence of social structure. Most of these projects are based on a general theoretical question but also closely related to a specific empirical problem in the 'real world'. We try to develop mechanistic models whose predictions can be tested in the lab or in the field. To this end, we closely collaborate with empirical biologists from various departments.

The Theoretical Biology group participates in the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies (CEES), which also harbours the research groups Animal Ecology, Community and Conservation Ecology, Evolutionary Genetics, Marine Biology, Microbial Ecology, and Plant Ecophysiology.

Our group participates in two Bachelor's programmes ("Biology" and "Life Science & Technology"), the Master's programme "Ecology", the Top Master's programme "Evolutionary Biology", and the graduate research programmes of the Research School Ecology and Evolution (within CEES), and of the Groningen Graduate School of Science (within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences).

 

 

  

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NEWS

Groningen Lectures in Theoretical Biology: Troy Day - The evolution of coral bleaching resistance. Tuesday 24 November 2009, 16:30 Red Lecture Hall

Aniek Ivens and Laura Vossen were both recently interviewed for the program ScienceFlash at Teleac Online. Laura's interview can be viewed on YouTube, and on wetenschap24.nl. Aniek's interview is available on teleac.nl. Ido Pen was interviewed in the program Adam's Apple.

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