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I am primarily interested in behavioural genetics and the evolution of social behaviour. Almost all of my research has been on honey bees, including Asian honeybees but recently I have been trying to diversify into native bees (Trigona).

I started out as a quantitative geneticist, working on practical problems of bee breeding. I then got involved with the population genetics of Africanized bees in central America.

Recently, I have been working on the mechanisms by which social cohesion is maintained in bee colonies. In particular, I have bred a unique strain of bees in which workers lay eggs with high frequency. These 'anarchistic' bees provide a superb resource for investigating the mechanisms by which worker sterility is maintained in normal colonies. By comparing the behaviour and genetics of normal and anarchistic bees, we try to uncover the fundamental properties of social insects.

To answer these questions we use a combination of field bioassays and genomic approaches. Our ultimate goal is to isolate and characterise the genes that control worker sterility in social insects. The ultimate 'gene for altruism'.

Other current projects involve characterising the genes that control the dance language of honeybees and thermoregulation behaviour.

I joined the University of Sydney in 1995, and teach genetics in all years. Prior to joining Sydney, I worked at LaTrobe University (1992-1995), the USDA bee lab in Baton Rouge (1989-1992), and the Victorian Department of Agriculture (1985-1989).

My objective is to develop an exciting, supportive, research environment with a focus on whole-organism behaviour, supported by excellent technical personnel (beekeepers and molecular biologists) and state-of-the-art technology.

We have good financial resources, and may be able to arrange graduate degree stipends for motivated students who meet admission standards of the University. A limited number of Post Doctoral fellowships are available from the University.