Ruth G. Shaw

Shaw studies evolutionary processes in plant populations, conducting research that bridges theory, empiricism and practical applications.  Her diverse contributions have addressed questions concerning rates of adaptive evolution in the wild, the evolution of species ranges, organismal responses to climate change, the consequences of fragmentation of prairie populations, and the influence of spontaneous mutation on adaptation.  To advance this research, she has collaboratively developed and implemented statistical approaches, freely sharing them: most recently, an influential maximum likelihood method of inference about Darwinian fitness that models the dependence of later-expressed components of fitness (e.g., fecundity) on those expressed earlier (e.g., survival).