Sophie Jean Walton

@sophiejwalton.bsky.social

Stanford Biophysics PhD Student with Dmitri Petrov and Ben Good. evolution, ecology, genomics, microbiomes, biophysics :) she/her https://sophiejwalton.github.io

We investigated how sympatric species maintain their phenotypic distinction despite high gene flow. Unlike other very cool studies in very cool systems, we find that phenotypic divergence is polygenic and although inversions are a part of the story, they sure aren't the whole story!

Cannot be more excited about the lineup for the inaugural Function of Evolving Systems GRC conference I am co-organizing with the amazing Joy Bergelson. Less than a month away: August 9 - 14, 2026. Still a few spots left! And do check out the amazing list of speakers: www.grc.org/function-of-...

2026 Function of Evolving Systems Conference GRC

The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Function of Evolving Systems will be held in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Apply today to reserve your spot.

grc.org

Thrilled to present my dissertation research at the Hamilton Symposium! We used approaches including GWAS, long-read sequencing, phylogenetic methods, and behavior experiments to uncover the genetic basis and evolutionary history of a shared polymorphism. Can’t wait to share what we’ve learned!

Picture of three diverged Xiphophorus species that display the false gravid spot, a sexual mimicry polymorphism that allows males to mimic females.
Society for the Study of Evolution@sse-evolution.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Join us at virtual #Evol2026 this Friday to hear from the finalists for the SSE Hamilton Award for Outstanding Student Presentation! This symposium is in 3 sessions starting at 11 am Eastern.

Text: Virtual Evolution 2026 Society for the Study of Evolution Hamilton Award Symposium, Friday, May 22 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern (GMT-4).

Please share widely! We will imminently be posting a technician position in our lab group since @rheasood.bsky.social is off to grad school 🙌! If you know of anyone excited about molecular biology, evolution, and functional genomics please have them reach out (schumer at stanford). Start date ~June

An NIH-funded postdoctoral position is available in my lab. The project focuses on the structural and mechanistic basis of antibody recognition of M and M-like proteins of Strep A (Streptococcus pyogenes).

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I am seeking a postdoc to join my group at UCLA -- ideally the candidate would have some experience in either population genetics or microbes/microbiome (computational background needed). We have a range of projects and are happy to tailer to your interests. Please dm/email me if interested.