DrCraig Wilding

I am originally a marine biologist (by degree) but have worked for the last 30 years utilising genetic, and latterly genomic, tools to study the evolution and genetics of a range of organisms and systems from sea anemones to mosquitoes, and scallops to spiders. I have even worked on humans and macaques, but invertebrates are far more interesting.
I am particularly interested in the mechanisms of reproductive isolation between incipient or hybridising species. My current work on the beadlet anemone, Actinia equina and the large house spider (Eratigena spp.) uses population genetic, transcriptomic, and comparative genomic techniques to study this.
I have previously worked on the genetics/genomics of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes – chiefly in sub-Saharan African Anopheles, but also Aedes and Culex as well – using a variety of tools: whole genome sequencing, GWAS, gene expression microarrays, transcriptomics, and heterologous expression of candidate insecticide metabolising enzymes in bacterial and insect cell line systems. I have also studied insecticide resistance in aphids of agricultural importance.

Current research projects include:
Population genetics of Actinia equina – how different are two of the colour morphs in this species (those with red pedal discs and those with green/grey pedal discs)? This currently involves sequencing of ITS cistrons, differential gene expression of pedal disc morphs, and population genetics using genome skimming. This work is in collaboration with Professor Ben Raymond at the University of Exeter, Cornwall campus (ITS) and Dr Marius Wenzel and Abhiraj Chakraborty at the University of Aberdeen (transcriptomics and genome-skimming).
Evolutionary and comparative genomics of the genus Actinia.
Genetics of olfaction in UK large house spiders (Eratigena duellica and E. saeva). Using transcriptomics to identify odorant receptors and examining if differential expression of these proteins may explain (some of) the reproductive isolation between species.