David Marques (1984–2026): Pioneering Speciation Genomics and Evolutionary Insight
David Alexander Marques (1984–2026), a leading speciation genomics researcher and proponent of the combinatorial theory of speciation, died in 2026 at 41. Based at the University of Bern, he collaborated with Ole Seehausen, Joana Meier, Laurent Excoffier, and Catherine Wagner on influential studies of adaptive radiation and evolutionary biology, with landmark papers across PLoS Genet, Nat Commun, Nat Ecol Evol, and related journals. Mentors describe him as a generous collaborator whose ongoing projects will carry on through his team.