the evolutionary history of genes and species, building phylogenetic trees of life the contrasting roles of horizontal gene transfer and introgression in shaping evolution the biology of symbioses, especially symbioses between eukaryotes and bacteria, and between parasites and their hosts the processes that drive the evolution of pattern in the structure of chromosomes the diversity of meiofauna, particularly tardigrades, nematodes and other Ecdysozoa the genomics of extremophilia