Dr. Karen Barnard-Kubow (2016 - current) is interested in the processes underlying the generation and maintenance of genetic variation, and how genetic divergence may eventually lead to the formation of new species. For her PhD with Laura Galloway she worked on cytonuclear incompatibility and speciation in an herbaceous plant species. She conducted post-doctoral research with Ben Blackman examining the genetic architecture of photoperiod in wild populations of sunflowers. Currently she is studying the evolutionary genetics of Daphnia in respoonse to spatial and temporal vairation predation pressure. This work is part of a project examining the role of environmental heterogeneity in maintaining functional genetic variation in natural populations.