David Hillis is best known for his studies of molecular evolution, phylogeny, and vertebrate systematics.
10 Facts About David Hillis
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David Hillis created the popular Hillis Plot depiction of the evolutionary tree of life.
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David Hillis was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1958, the son of William Hillis, an epidemiologist, and Aryge Briggs Hillis, a biostatistician.
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David Hillis's brother is computer scientist W Daniel Hillis, and his sister is Argye E Hillis, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University.
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David Hillis made significant contributions to the understanding of hybridization, molecular processes of evolutionary change, and statistical analysis of biological phylogenies.
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David Hillis's co-authored book Molecular Systematics was instrumental in developing the field of phylogenetic analysis, and he is a co-author of two of the leading college textbooks on biology.
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Dr David Hillis was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 1999.
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In 2000, David Hillis was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2008, he was elected a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
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David Hillis has served as president of the Society for the Study of Evolution, and President of the Society of Systematic Biologists.
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David Hillis owns and operates the Double Helix Ranch, where he raises Texas Longhorn Cattle.