I am interested in how much genetic constraints and drift versus adaptation play a role in quantitative trait evolution. In my masters I studied the relationship between genetic connectivity and fluctuations of the fitness landscape through the evolution of genetic trait covariance, and what were the genetic causes behind the evolved covariance. For my PhD focuses on local adaptation and how to disentangle drift from selection. To address this question, we have developed a novel algorithm for identifying adaptive divergence. Currently, I am implementing this algorithm as an R package while conducting comprehensive validation with simulated data. The next phase of my work involves applying this method to reanalyze published datasets, which will lead to a review of local adaptation patterns. Finally, I am developing a complementary genomics-only approach for cases where trait data is unavailable expanding the method’s applicability to a broader range of studies.