Why are we the way we are?

My scientific curiosity begins with the wish to understand how life came to have the forms, functions and diversity we see today. What do living systems share, how did their differences arise, and how do molecules and their interactions make these possibilities real?

I approach this question through computation. Molecular recognition offers a way to examine how biological components interact. Evolutionary analysis helps us reconstruct how those components changed, diversified and acquired new roles. Together, they let us ask how the history of life is reflected in the mechanisms operating within it today.

Our work on neurotransmitter evolution brings this motivation into focus: how did molecules and proteins become organised into systems of communication? By studying phylogenies and developing models of their evolution, we seek to understand the steps through which signalling systems took shape.

Graph theory adds another perspective: how can we recognise the same underlying structure when its labels or representation change? My efforts on graph isomorphism and molecular representations grow from this interest in structure, relationships and identity. Across these directions, my aim is to turn a broad curiosity about life into precise questions that can be tested.