We are delighted to welcome Ludo Schoenmakers to the KLI!

Schoenmakers’ project - The Origins of Evolution - examines the application of evolutionary theory to the domain of the emergence and early development of life as studied within Origins of Life (OoL). In this field, complex modular systems are routinely described in terms of evolution, selection, heredity, and others. Thus, Schoenmakers focuses on investigating how evolutionary theory can be applied to the pre-biological emergence and development of life. The project aims to provide clarification on the nature of evolutionary theory at the early stages of life, and to understand how contemporary scientists working on early life use evolutionary language to describe their work. In addition, an analysis of the application of evolutionary theory to early life research potentially allows valuable crosspollination, where evolutionary theory is modified by insights from early life research and vice versa.

Schoenmakers will be a postdoctoral fellow at the KLI until September 30th, 2024.