Rogier Braakman

PhD in Chemical Physics from Caltech, MSc in Chemistry from the University of Amsterdam

I study general principles of metabolic evolution, and take a chemical physics perspective on questions of macroevolution, ecosystem self-assembly and Earth history. I use comparative genomics to reconstruct the evolution of metabolic networks over geologic timescales, and combine this with information from other levels to understand the nature, drivers and ecological/environmental consequences of innovations. My ultimate goal is to understand the logic that underpins the chemical organization of life across levels of the biosphere, and how chemistry constrains the co-evolution of Earth and the biosphere.

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