Corlett Wood

Corlett Wood is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology. Their research focuses on the evolution, ecology, and genetics of species interactions in the plant root microbiome, particularly in the genus Medicago. Wood investigates how genetic pleiotropy influences the ecology and evolution of species interactions, such as the genetic tradeoff between attracting rhizobia and resisting root-knot nematodes. Their work combines fieldwork, greenhouse experiments, and genomics to explore these dynamics in wild plant populations. Wood holds a B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Virginia, followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of Toronto.

Corlett Wood, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pennsylvania, investigates the evolutionary mechanisms shaping genetic variation and phenotypic traits in natural populations. Their research explores how environmental factors, social interactions, and genetic constraints influence evolutionary responses in organisms. Wood's work spans topics such as the fitness consequences of social network position, genetic conflict in mutualistic systems, and the role of priority effects in ecological interactions. They also examine how genetic and environmental factors interact to shape evolutionary outcomes in plants and microbes. Their studies often integrate field observations with experimental approaches to uncover the dynamics of evolutionary processes in wild populations.