My research focuses on the origins of biodiversity, more specifically the genomic footprints of speciation and adaptation, and the link between phenotype and (adaptive) genotype. I follow a holistic and interdisciplinary approach with a focus on genomic data, always informed by as much additional organismal data as possible. My main study organisms are small freshwater fishes (related to medaka) that have evolved a highly derived brooding strategy in which females carry their eggs until hatching. Similar to mammalian pregnancy, the female develops a transient tissue - the plug - induced by a modified inflammatory response. In this context, my main goals are (1) to understand the micro-anatomy and function of the plug, (2) to trace the cells and genomic pathways involved in the assembly and degradation of the plug tissue, and (3) to study the evolution of traits related to the derived reproductive strategy in these fish.