Axel Meyer

Axel Meyer pioneered using molecular and developmental approaches in evolutionary biology. He demonstrated that speciation may occur without geographic barriers. He is at the forefront in the use of genetic data and bioinformatics techniques to infer phylogenetic relationships at both small and large scales. Meyer is best known for his work on the evolution and adaptive radiation of African cichlid fishes, fish-specific genome duplications, molecular phylogenetics of vertebrates, and the role of ecological and sexual selection in speciation.