Dr Erik Postma

About me:

I study the individual- and population-level causes and consequences of variation in the traits related to the most important events in an individual's life, including birth, mate choice, reproduction and death. To this end I use individual-based, long-term data for a range of species, including birds and humans. I am also interested in the application of concepts and analytical tools from evolutionary biology to human athletic performance.

Interests:

I am an evolutionary biologist with a fascination for the causes and consequences of individual variation. In my research, I aim at disentangling the role of genes and the environment in shaping this variation, and to test for its consequences in terms of individual-level fitness and population-level structure and demography. Using a combination of theoretical and empirical work, my research aims at advancing our understanding of the individual- and population-level consequences of environmental change. To this end, I combine ideas and techniques from population, quantitative and molecular genetics, as well as life-history theory, and apply these to large-scale (individual-based) datasets for human and non-human animals.

Broad research specialisms:

Quantitative genetics, inbreeding, pedigrees, natural and sexual selection, life-history theory, birds, mammals, humans, endurance performance.

Qualifications:

2005 PhD, Netherlands Institute of Ecology/Utrecht University, The Netherlands

2000 MSc, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

1999 BSc, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Career:

2023 - present Associate Professor, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter

2017 - 2023 Senior Lecturer, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter

2011 - 2017 Research Associate, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland

2008 - 2011 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland

2006 - 2008 Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Office hours:

During term, my office hours are on Wednesday from 11 to 12 and on Thursday from 10 to 11.

To find my office in the attic of Tremough House, use the entrance to the Tremough House Annexe opposite the Stannary. Turn left and then right, and before the set of double doors turn right. Now go up the stairs on your right. Keep going until you find my office on the left.