Mate choice

MHC-associated human mate choice

Since resistance to infection has direct evolutionary consequences for animals, patterns of mate choice may be influenced by MHC genotype of potential mates. However, despite some well-known findings, the available evidence for humans is equivocal and made complicated by varied approaches to quantifying human mate choice. To address this, we conduct meta-analyses of human MHC-linked mate choice studies.

Genetically-based social communication in banded mongooses

In mammals, odor cues are the primary mechanism for social communication, including kin recognition and individual identification. It is currently unclear how genes influence odor signals, whether directly from by-products of self/non-self binding molecules (MHC) or indirectly by regulating microbial odor-producing communities.

With collaborators from the Banded Mongoose Research Project we will use behavioral and genetic data collected from wild banded mongooses to disentangle the genetic basis of social odors. This work is also in collaboration with Hazel Nichols, Mike Cant, Tobias Lenz, Joe Hoffman, and Emma Vitikainen, and supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Media and public outreach

My work has been featured in PBS' digital series Far Out, which explores scientific and technical advancements we might expect to see in the future. The episode I am in is 'The Ethics of Future Dating: From DNA Matchmaking to AI Relationships' [1:32 to 3:29 is about the MHC].