Biodiversity Genomics and Analytics

I am interested in the genetics underlying species-level variation in plants which I study through a combination of classical genetics and the application of high throughput sequencing data (genomics, transcriptomics, hybrid capture).  I am particularly interested in developing bioinformatic approaches using hybrid capture to recover genetic data from herbarium specimens.  My group works mainly on Begonia but I also work with a range of other tropical groups including Inga.

As an evolutionary botanist Michael Möller is interested in unravelling evolutionary processes and the classification of plants, with particular focus on Gesneriaceae. He applies holistic approaches combining morphological, cytological and molecular data, whereby molecular phylogenetic frameworks are the cornerstone underpinning taxonomic decisions and modern classification systems. He currently focusses on genomic approaches to unravel genetic mechanisms underpinning plant form diversity. This involves the combination of telomer-to-telomere (T2T) genome assemblies, QTL analyses and mutagenetic approaches, as well as the development of cytogenomic methods to study genome evolution and confirm findings from genome sequencing.

I am a botanist with over 30 years of experience in plant identification who also uses genetic tools to study and understand plant diversity. The combination of morphological and molecular techniques is a powerful approach to investigate evolutionary processes which, for instance, has led to the discovery of a new species of monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria) in New Caledonia by RBGE and collaborators.  A particular interest of mine are the possible effects of hybridisation on the evolutuionary history of species as well as the processes which shape and change plant populations over time (phylogeography).