Dr. Thomas Near

Biography

Thomas Near is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, where he also serves as the Bingham Oceanographic Curator of Ichthyology at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and head of Saybrook College. His research primarily focuses on using phylogenetic hypotheses to study patterns of speciation and adaptive radiation in monophyletic groups of teleost fishes. Near's work involves the testing and construction of phylogenetic hypotheses using DNA sequences, contributing to the understanding of fossil-calibrated molecular clocks, geographic modes of speciation, evolution, and morphological and ecological disparity. He estimates lineage-specific diversification rates and conducts research on North American freshwater fishes as well as fish species endemic to waters surrounding Antarctica. His investigations include geographic patterns of speciation, divergence time estimation, and the phylogenetics of adaptive radiation in Antarctic notothenioid fishes.

Research Interests

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