Kunal Arekar

Dr. Kunal Arekar is an evolutionary biologist with expertise in phylogenetic and genomic data analysis, bioinformatics and climatic niche modeling. Using bioinformatic tools and hypothesis-based statistical modeling, Dr. Arekar integrates large-scale genomic data analysis and paleoclimatic niche modeling to answer questions pertaining to speciation and studying the underlying evolutionary processes affecting speciation.

Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Arekar was a postdoctoral scientist at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. He received the National Postdoctoral Fellowship (NPDF) from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to conduct research on speciation, hybridization and adaptation to climate change in primates of India. He joined Lynch Lab (UCLA) as a visiting assistant project scientist to collaborate for his postdoctoral research. With eight years of experience teaching phylogenetic data analysis and evolutionary biology, Dr. Arekar is dedicated to inclusive teaching and mentoring.

Courses

• INFO 523 Data Mining and Discovery
• INFO 410/510 Bayesian Modeling and Inference