Hector Rosche-Flores

I study the domestication of the black soldier fly using a pangenomics framework. More generally, I look at differences in genetic structure between many individuals in different populations. Like how some scientists might sample DNA from wolves and dogs to find out what makes them different, or which genes we needed to change to make a beagle. I use big data, big computers, and population genetics theory to identify signals of natural or artificial selection acting on the fly. I am particularly interested in structural variants- not just small mutations but large rearrangements in the genome- and how they may contribute to adaptation in insect agriculture.