Malik is interested in genetic conflict, the competition between genes and proteins with opposing function. This conflict drives evolutionary change. He is also interested in the evolutionary processes that determine how human bodies interact with viruses. For example, together with
Lisa Kursel, Malik identified genes at the centre of conflict between cell types in
Drosophila virilis. As these processes typically take place over very slow timescales, they are complicated and challenging to unravel. To understand the genetic conflicts that occur between different genomes – and different components of the same genomes – Malik turns to fossils. Viral fossils in animal genomes can be used to monitor intense episodes of gene adaption. Malik has expanded this research field, so-called paleovirology, developing the capabilities to describe the functional outcomes of molecular arms races. Working with
Steven Henikoff, Malik developed the concept of centromere-drive, a mechanism that explains the unusual genetic conflicts that arise during meiosis. Centromere-drive describes an evolutionary process in which centromeric repeats expand, which results in the recruitment of
kinetochore proteins and segregation of the expanded centromere to the egg during female asymmetric meiosis. As associate director at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Malik has worked on various initiatives to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. He was awarded the 2022
Genetics Society of America Edward Novitski Prize for his work on evolution and chromosome biology. == Awards and honors ==