Launching a new research group
As of September 2024, I have started my own research group at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, as an Academy Research Fellow. This four-year fellowship will focus on developing evolutionary theory to understand the mechanisms underlying ageing patterns across the tree of life.
The research program
Ageing—the decline in survival and fertility with age—is nearly universal, yet remarkably variable both within and between species. My fellowship project aims to bridge the gap between major evolutionary theories of ageing (mutation accumulation, antagonistic pleiotropy, and disposable soma theory) by examining a largely overlooked mechanism: the evolution of germline maintenance.
The central hypothesis is that germline mutation rates are not fixed but can evolve in response to life history trade-offs. Specifically, mutations with harmful effects accumulate in the germline over an organism’s lifetime, and the rate of this accumulation depends on how resources are allocated between germline maintenance, somatic maintenance, growth, and reproduction. This creates a feedback loop between mutation dynamics and life history evolution that may explain variation in ageing patterns, including sex differences in senescence.
The project will develop theoretical models integrating optimal control theory, population genetics, and structured population models to: (i) predict associations between germline mutation rates and life history traits; (ii) identify conditions favoring the evolution of indeterminate growth and germline maintenance; (iii) explain sex-specific differences in ageing; and (iv) explore implications for public health by clarifying links between reproductive processes and ageing.
Beyond the fellowship project, the research group will also investigate human life history evolution—particularly the role of kin selection and intergenerational transfers.