General theory of inclusive fitness in structured populations; effects of population heterogeneity

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My overall objective is to contribute directly to our knowledge and understanding of ecological and evolutionary change through the construction of mathematical models, focusing particularly on the modeling of animal behaviour in structured populations. Particular areas of interest include allocation of reproductive resources between sexes, dispersal behaviour between subpopulations, altruistic and cooperative behaviours, allocation between growth and fecundity and the role of information transfer in determining the outcome of conflicts. As part of this work I will serve as a technical and conceptual resource for others in the field who wish to make better use of the power of mathematics in their modeling, for example through my consultations and editorial positions. A key component of the work is to train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (who may come from a background in mathematics or biology), in mathematical modeling in evolutionary ecology. Finally a portion of my time will be devoted to research into models of curriculum delivery in first-year university. This requires, in my view, a complete re-imagining of our mission.