Professor
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Killam University Chair
Canada Research Chair
Email : otto@zoology.ubc.ca
Personal website : www.zoology.ubc.ca/~otto
https://biodiversity.ubc.ca/people/faculty/sarah-otto
Expertises
- Dynamical systems
- Mathematical modelling
- Yeast experimental evolution
- Eco-evolutionary theory
Research interests
Understanding how evolution has led to the remarkable diversity of life is the key motivating force behind my research. Mathematical models allow us to determine which evolutionary transitions are plausible, which are probable, and which are inaccessible. My students and I have developed core evolutionary theory for understanding transitions among modes of reproduction, mating systems, and genome structures. To ‘ground truth’ this theory, we perform experiments using different plant systems and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Current research investigates the nature and scope of beneficial mutations acquired in stressful environments and the trade-offs they exhibit to better understand the constraints on evolutionary adaptation in a changing world.