Rachael Bay studies interactions between human-induced changes in the environment and evolutionary processes. This includes how animals respond to changes in their environment that are caused by humans as well as how evolution might mitigate some of the negative impacts of human-induced change. She uses a combination of ecological and physiological experiments and large-scale genomic and environmental data to understand patterns of evolution associated with anthropogenic impacts across a wide range of non-model animals. Her work ultimately can be used to create forward-looking conservation management decisions.