Winston Campeau

My research does not happen with experiments in a lab. It all takes place with pen, paper, and supercomputers! I look at how evolution occurs over very long periods of time, especially in periods of uncertainty. For example, will climate change result in mass extinctions? What will be the features of those organisms that do survive such an event?

In my most recent research, I’m looking at how animals’ behavior might change if their environment changes. For example, “what is the best possible searching pattern for an organism to use, when it has no idea where anything is located?” I use a special technique from computational intelligence called “Evolutionary Algorithms”.  This process uses what we know about evolution (e.g., mutation and natural selection) to solve computationally complex problems. 

A typical day could start with a meeting where we might discuss new results and how best to communicate those results. Or, we might write equations and code, or come up with new research ideas. Afterwards, I might spend a few hours on a Linux-based computer where I write code & prepare simulations. Later, I pass this code on to supercomputers (including Canada’s most powerful supercomputers, Narval and Niagara). A few hours will also be dedicated to scientific writing, which can include mathematical proofs. I have also taught courses at Carleton University, so some days are spent preparing lecture material, grading, and meeting with students.

I use a combination of computer languages to carry out my research. These include Bash, Python, C++, and R. , I also use a document formatting program called LaTeX to write scientific papers. LaTeX is a special word processing program that has special features designed for the production of technical and scientific documents. An example of my research can be found on PLOS Computational Biology (Here: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009490).