Ryan Brock

me

Position: Master’s by Research student

Project: Comparative genomics of social evolution

Research Interests: Eusociality represents an advanced state of social organisation defined by adult colonial members belonging to two or more overlapping generations, exhibiting co-operative care for the young, and being divided into reproductive and non-reproductive castes. Across the bees, wasps and ants, eusociality has independently arisen on at least eight occasions.

My research interests lie primarily in the changes which occur at the genetic level during these major evolutionary transitions from ancestral solitary living to present-day eusociality. By utilising the available genomic and transcriptomic data for a range of bees, wasps and ants at different rungs of the ‘social ladder’, my project will take a comparative computational approach in an effort to elucidate how the genome changes (or potentially stays the same) during the process of social evolution.

Also, please feel free to check out my blog (in which I try to cover recent papers relating in any way to eusociality) at youmeeusociality.wordpress.com

Background:

2015 – Present: MSc by Research, University of Bristol

2012 – 2015: BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia

Contact:

Email: rb15971@bristol.ac.uk / ryanbrock94@aol.com

Twitter: @RBrock94