Nathan Upham
Postdoctoral Associate
Email: nathan.upham@yale.edu
I study the generation and maintenance of biodiversity from a spatial and temporal perspective, integrating data from molecules (DNA), fossils, and ecological traits to investigate when and where groups of species originated, at what evolutionary rates, and in relation to which paleo-ecological and -climatic factors. My research is centered on mammalian evolution and focuses on unique lineages of rats and mice in the tropical Americas (spiny rats, hutias, and relatives), deserts of North and South America (kangaroo mice and vizcacha rats), and most recently on global Mammalia. Through fieldwork and genomic and phylogenetic approaches, I ask questions that aim to uncover core dynamics of the eco-evolutionary process at biogeographic and population genetic scales. I also seek to translate our findings to wide audiences through outreach efforts and by teaching courses, always with the aim to encourage biodiversity conservation in the tropical and arid ecosystems where I work.
Website:
Area of Interest
Ecological diversification, biogeography, molecular phylogenetics, fossil calibration, niche evolution, spatial biodiversity