Alexandra Sparks

NERC-funded Research Fellow, based at the University of Leeds

Within wild populations, there is considerable variation in the onset and rate that individuals senesce (or deteriorate with age), but the causes of this variation remain poorly understood.

The long-term Seychelles warbler dataset offers a fantastic opportunity to investigate how genetic, social, transgenerational and environmental factors interact to generate individual variation in ageing patterns. Alexandra was particularly interested in using genomic data and quantitative genetic analyses to investigate the genetic basis of senescence in the wild, and investigate how genetic variation in ageing rates is maintained in the face of natural selection. She is also interested in how early life conditions and life history decisions influence ageing patterns in later life.