Michael Lynch is Distinguished Professor of Biology at Indiana University. He received his B.S. in Biology from St. Bonaventure University, and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lynch has served as President of both the Society for the Study of Evolution and the American Genetic Association, and is a past council member of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research is focused on mechanisms of evolution at the gene, genomic, cellular, and phenotypic levels, with special attention being given to the roles of mutation, random genetic drift, and recombination.

"This book is a must-read for every genome researcher. It is the most up-to-date and thorough summary of genome evolution published. Almost every page introduces interesting, unanswered problems, making it a gold mine for graduate students in search of a thesis topic." --Axel Meyer, Nature

"If you want a good summary of what genomics has revealed about genome architecture over the last two decades, merged with a nontechnical exposition of the relevant principles of population genetics, this is the book to get." --Daniel Hartl, Nature Genetics

"The book's first twelve chapters are a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of genomes. As a whole, Origins of Genome Architecture represents a serious, valiant, and highly scholarly attempt at making sense of the new data provided by the genomic revolution. To that aim, Lynch deploys the full array of conceptual tools that make up the modern synthesis paradigm in evolutionary biology." --Massimo Pigliucci, Science

"This volume would be an excellent foundation for an upper-level undergraduate course or a graduate seminar. It has become increasingly clear that a blind reliance on the explanatory power of natural selection has led to a lot of "sloppy thinking" and this book is a start toward clearing up some of this problem." --Richard J. Mural, The Quarterly Review of Biology

"This is a truly remarkable book, which will forever change your view of evolutionary biology. Anyone with even tangential interest in evolution needs to read the preface, epilogue, and especially the fourth chapter on population size. Lynch takes a detailed knowledge of molecular genetics and genomics, combined with a refined fluency in population genetics, to create sound sweeping descriptions and predictions about evolution. Read Lynch's book, have your students read it, and let's revise our views of evolution." --Root Gorelick, Plant Science Bulletin

"Lynch presents a synthesis of molecular genetics and evolutionary biology with a goal of driving new interdisciplinary research and understanding. He succeeds admirably. This extremely interesting book presents genomic evolution in a comprehensive manner and with different perspectives. What makes this volume so useful is that each chapter presents not only what and how, but also why (and why it matters). This book will appeal to everyone interested in genetics, molecular biology, and evolution. It is highly recommended." --D. Carroll, Choice