My experience is that science is a remarkably social activity. My own collaborations tend to revolve around needing help learning new techniques (genomics; e.g., with Bob Schmitz) or where our interactions stimulate new ideas and thoughts (e.g., with Nathan Bailey). Sometimes you just need to interact with someone who shares your passion for evolution (Butch Brodie).
Current Collaborations:
Trish Moore (University of Georgia) – My long-term collaborator. If there are mechanisms in my papers, they probably came from working with Trish. If there are statistics in her papers, they probably came from me. We are currently collaborating (with Bob Schmitz) on the role of Dnmt1 in insects.
Nathan Bailey (University of St Andrews) – IGEs, plasticity, and musing about behavior.
Butch Brodie (University of Virginia) – the origins of the idea of “Interacting Phenotype” came from interacting with Butch when we were both new professors at the University of Kentucky. We started with an interest in maternal effects, and then realized there could be a generalization. We continue to interact.
Joel McGlothlin (Virginia Tech) – more IGEs.
Nick Royle (University of Exeter) – parental care, burying beetles
Bob Schmitz (University of Georgia) – methylation, or not, in insects.
Alvin Simmons (USDA-ARS) – management of whiteflies