Jack Da Silva

Dr Jack Da Silva

Senior Lecturer

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


My research and teaching are focused on evolutionary genetics. Current topics of interest are:
 

Evolution of Altruism (eusociality)
Evolution of Body Size (life history)
Evolution of Sexes (anisogamy)
Evolution of Aging (senescence)
Dynamics of Cancer (carcinogenesis)

 
I approach these problems with a combination of phylogenetic comparative analyses and computer simulation. Please see my publications for recent examples.
 
Current projects include:
 

Monogamy and the evolution of eusociality. The evolution of sterile workers in social insects by kin selection is hypothesised to require long term monogamy so that the genetic relatedness between workers and reproductives is maximal. This hypothesis is being tested by estimating evolutionary transition rates between mating systems, colony structures, and worker sterility using a recent large phylogeny of bees.

 

The evolution of sexes (anisogamy). The evolution of small and large gametes (gamete dimorphism), defined as sexes, is analysed using the volvocine algae (Chlamydomonas, Volvox, etc.), which exhibit considerable variation in gamete dimorphism, ranging from isogamy, to anisogamy and oogamy (eggs and sperm). The gamete competition theory is being tested using recent evolutionary trees of the volvocine algae and modern comparative statistical methods.

 
All projects are available for honours, masters, and doctorate study.

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2009 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Chloroplast DNAs Diversify Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genomes in Plants Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Dong Wang
    2008 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Comprehensive Identification and Annotation of Non-Protein-Coding Transcriptomes from Vertebrates Indicates Most ncRNAs are Regulatory Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Zhipeng Qu
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Phone: 83137009
  • Email: jack.dasilva@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83134362
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Molecular Life Sciences, floor 2
  • Org Unit: Molecular and Biomedical Science

Connect With Me
External Profiles