cbaer - CHARLES FREDERICK BAER Curriculum Vitae Department...

CHARLES FREDERICK BAER
Curriculum Vitae
Department of Biology
University of Florida
P. O. Box 118525
Gainesville, FL, 32611-8525
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://people.biology.ufl.edu/cbaer/
Education :
Ph.D, Florida State University, 1998. Biological Science.
M.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1992. Biological Science.
B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1982. Biological Science.
Current Employment :
August 2003 - present; Assistant Professor , Department of Biology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL.
Prior Employment :
July 1999-July 2003. Postdoctoral Research Associate , Department of Biology, University of
Oregon and Department of Biology, Indiana University (Michael Lynch, supervisor).
July 1998-June 1999. Postdoctoral Research Associate , Department of Biology, Colorado
State University (Michael F. Antolin, supervisor).
May 1998 - July 1998. Instructor , Department of Biological Science, Florida State University.
Courses taught: Evolution
August 1992-May 1997. Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant , Department of
Biological Science, Florida State University.
August 1987-August 1989, summer 1990,1991,1992. Self-employed carpenter , Austin, TX and
Minneapolis, MN.
April, 1983-August 1987. Carpenter for several construction companies in the Austin, TX area.
February 1984-March 1986, Dennis Crumpton Construction, Johnson City, TX
April, 1986-August 1987, Reed Construction and Design, Austin, TX
June 1982-April 1983. Lab Technician , City of College Station, TX sewage treatment facility.
Research Interests :
I am a comparative evolutionary geneticist whose research is motivated by theoretical
population genetics. My primary research interest is in the factors responsible for the generation
and maintenance of genetic variation - "understanding variation in genetic variation". I am
especially interested in the evolution of mutation rate. There is considerable variation in the rate
and cumulative effects of new mutations, even among genotypes within species. I begin from
the premise that the mutation rate is an evolvable phenotype which is subject to optimizing
selection, and which may evolve in predictable ways. My research program has two primary
objectives: (1) elucidate the various factors that underlie variation in the mutation rate, and (2)
determine the extent to which variation in mutation rate explains variation among taxa in

C. Baer Curriculum vitae 2
standing genetic variation at the phenotypic and molecular level. Recently, our studies of
mutational variation have led me to become interested in the evolution of phenotypic
robustness.
We use rhabditid nematodes as our experimental organism, and employ a variety of
phenotypic and molecular methods to address the questions of interest. Additional research
interests include the evolution of genetic architecture (i.e., genetic covariance), the
phylogeography of fresh water fish, and selection experiments in any way, shape, or form.