Dr. Jason Weir

Biography

Jason Weir is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. He completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia and carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago. His research interests focus on the evolutionary response of plants to climate change, particularly how changes in seasonal rhythms due to global warming may alter selective regimes acting on genes that control flowering and vegetative growth in plants. His lab has conducted significant field studies on the mustard species Brassica rapa to understand how environmental changes impact flowering time and reproductive strategies. One of the notable projects utilized the 'resurrection paradigm' to compare flowering times of B. rapa seeds collected before and after a drought in California, revealing a significant evolutionary shift. Additionally, he investigates the effects of phenological assortative mating on the genetic variance of flowering time, with numerous experiments currently underway within his laboratory. He is actively seeking prospective graduate students for his research team, focused on climate adaptation and evolutionary biology.

Research Interests

Experience