Dr. Jun-Yi Leu discovered speciation genes in budding yeasts.

Speciation generates discrete populations, which in turn play an essential role in maintaining novel adaptations during evolution. Hybrids between different species are usually inviable or sterile due to the incompatibility between interacting genes (speciation genes) from different species. Dr. Jun-Yi Leu’s lab has identified the first pair of speciation genes in budding yeasts.