What we do

We study the diversity of life to better understand fundamental evolutionary transitions in eukaryotes. Microbes represent the vast majority of eukaryotic diversity, yet we have barely scratched the surface of this extraordinary reservoir of genetic information and non-textbook cell biology. Without such information, it is currently impossible to comprehensively understand some of the major events that generated the incredible diversity we see today.

In my group, we study protists (microbial eukaryotes) to understand how endosymbiosis, one of the most intimate form of partnerships between different cells, has given rise to organelles. In particular, we are interested in the origin of plastids (the photosynthetic organelles of eukaryotes), a complex process where once free-living organisms have become so intimately integrated as to form new biological units and as a result have transformed life on Earth.