Much of our research centers on three simple questions: what do animals do, how do they do it, and ultimately why do they do what they do. Answering these fundamental questions, however, is often not so simple, especially if you choose to work on large marine predators in some very challenging environments from the Arctic to the subtropics.

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But that is part of the allure for the web program. There is no substitute for getting in the field if you want to get to know your study subject.

While field studies can reveal much, they can’t reveal everything about the behavioral ecology, evolution, vulnerabilities and resilience of species. Combining such investigations with molecular genetic, and now genomic, profiling of wild populations, is providing unique insights into the behavior and fitness of individuals and thus the structure, dynamics, viability and evolution of populations and species. Molecular ecology is a central component of web.

Time travel in the genomics age - Understanding the past is often the key to interpreting the present and to effectively predicting the future.

From the inherent desire to learn more about our own origins to the pressing societal need to extend the timeline of scientific enquiry in order to better understand the processes of the natural world, from evolution to climate change, and their impacts on all forms of life, the field of molecular genetics using 'Ancient DNA' is opening up new horizons.