Christopher Gurguis
Evolution | Psychiatry
Staff Psychiatrist, The Menninger Clinic
Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
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ABOUT
I am a Staff Psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic with an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. My research focus detailed below is motivated by my background and broad interests in ecology and evolutionary biology.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
![Edited Image 2015-3-18-14:25:15](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0ca3a7_a1450fc275284c028b7ad952a7848c95.jpg/v1/fill/w_212,h_164,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Edited%20Image%202015-3-18-14_25_15.jpg)
Behavioral development and evolution
What are the origins of behavioral variation? What are the implications of this variation for the function and evolution of traits? What can phenotypic variation over the life of an organism tell us about function? My research in this area lies at the interesection of development and evolution in the begging behavior of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana).
![Metastasis.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0ca3a7_0164e9853278441c9627e8ce6d1c7c8e.jpg/v1/fill/w_215,h_164,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Metastasis.jpg)
Evolutionary Psychiatry
How does psychiatric illness impact life history traits? What is the strength of selection on traits implicated in psychiatric illness? What is the quantitative genetic architecture of these traits? These are fundamental questions in the evolution of psychiatric illness that are poorly understood as yet. I am interested in illuminating the answers to these questions.
ACADEMIC GENEALOGY
![Academic Genealogy.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0ca3a7_a08fc9c672da45ba9134dc55224e393f~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_920,h_446,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Academic%20Genealogy.png)