Barton Group
Evolutionary genetics
The Barton group develops mathematical models to probe fundamental issues in evolution: for example, how do new species form, what limits adaptation, and what shapes the genetic system? Nick Barton and his group study diverse topics in evolutionary genetics. The main focus of their work is the effects of natural selection on many genes, and the evolution of populations that are distributed across space. They develop statistical models for the evolution of complex traits, which depend on the combined effects of very many genes. Working with other groups at ISTA, they study the evolution of gene regulation, using a thermodynamic model of transcription factor binding. A substantial component of the group’s work is a long-term study of the hybrid zone between two populations of snapdragons (Antirrhinum) that differ in flower color. This combines detailed field observation with genetic data to estimate population structure and fitness variation over multiple scales, and serves as a test-bed for developing ways to infer selection and demography from genetic data.
Group Leader
Administrative Support
Team
Current Projects
Evolutionary computation | Evolution of complex traits | Analysis of selection experiments | Understanding genealogies in space and at multiple loci | Inference from DNA sequence | Speciation and hybridization in Antirrhinum
Publications
Surendranadh P. 2024. Effect of population structure on neutral genetic variation and barriers to gene exchange. Institute of Science and Technology Austria. View
Ruzickova N, Hledik M, Tkačik G. 2024. Quantitative omnigenic model discovers interpretable genome-wide associations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121(44), e2402340121. View
Garcia Castillo DF, Barton NH, Faria R, Larsson J, Stankowski S, Butlin R, Johannesson K, Westram AM. 2024. Predicting rapid adaptation in time from adaptation in space: A 30-year field experiment in marine snails. Science Advances. 10(41), eadp2102. View
Pocull Belles G, Baskett C, Barton NH. 2024. Multiscale spatial analysis of two plant–insect interactions: Effects of landscape, resource distribution, and other insects. Landscape Ecology. 39(9), 172. View
Fouqueau L, Polechova J. 2024. Eco-evolutionary dynamics in changing environments: Integrating theory with data. Journal of evolutionary biology. 37(6), 579–587. View
ReX-Link: Nick Barton
Career
Since 2008 Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
1990 – 2008 Reader and Professor, University of Edinburgh, UK
1982 – 1990 Lecturer and Reader, University College London, UK
1980 – 1982 Demonstrator, Cambridge University, UK
1979 PhD, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Selected Distinctions
ISI Highly Cited Researcher
2024 International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
2022 ERC Advanced Grant
2016 Schrödinger Lecture, Dublin
2013 Erwin Schrödinger Prize, Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)
2013 Mendel Medal, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
2009 Linnean Society Darwin-Wallace Medal
2009 ERC Advanced Grant
2006 Royal Society Darwin Medal
2001 President, Society for the Study of Evolution
1998 American Society of Naturalists President’s Award
1994 Fellow, Royal Society of London
1994 David Starr Jordan Prize
Additional Information
Download CV
View Barton group website
Mathematics at ISTA
Barton Group YouTube video
