Talks

Explore particle physics with Dr. Clara Nellist at the Perimeter Institute on May 8, as she discusses CERN’s groundbreaking research. Free tickets to attend the event in person will be available on Monday, April 22 at 9:00 AM EDT. Tickets for this event are 100% free. As always, our public lectures are live-streamed in real-time on our YouTube channel - available here: https://www.youtube.com/@PIOutreach About Our Public Lectures: Our Public Lectures feature experts from all areas of theoretical physics discussing topics such as quantum computing, black holes, and dark matter. Previous speakers include world-leading researchers such as Neil Turok and Juan Maldacena. These events are a unique chance to engage with some of the groundbreaking ideas in physics happening within the building.

Populations often adapt to spatially heterogeneous environments via substitutions or allele frequency changes at many loci spread across the genome. Subsequent contact between diverged populations can produce unfit hybrids, which inhibits genetic exchange across the genome, thus setting the stage for further divergence and speciation. How such polygenic divergence builds up or is maintained depends on the coupled dynamics of multiple loci under selection, making it challenging to predict. In this talk, I will outline simple theoretical approximations based on effective migration rates that capture how coupling or linkage disequilibria (LD) between loci influences the maintenance of polygenic adaptive divergence. This analysis allow us to clarify how genetic architecture (i.e., the numbers, selective and dominance effects and linkage relationships of selected variants) influences divergence in the face of gene flow and genetic drift. I will conclude my talk with a broader perspective on...