Zachary Ardern

Biography

Zachary Ardern is a research fellow in bacterial evolutionary genomics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK. His PhD on microbial experimental evolution and undergraduate studies in philosophy, economics, and biology, were at the University of Auckland, NZ. His research is oriented towards theoretical evolutionary biology, particularly the origins of genetic novelty in microbes. Recent work includes application to the genome of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally he is deeply interested in interactions between natural theology and evolutionary biology, and has been active in giving talks and writing on related topics.

 

Academic biography

Research topics

• Evolutionary origins and functions of novel genes
• Structure of the genetic code and influence on evolution
• Concepts of function in the philosophy of biology
• Relationship between evolutionary theory and natural theology