Biology Faculty

My research seeks to provide a better understanding of how unusual sources of selective pressures (i.e. caste dimorphism, horizontal gene transfers, and endosymbiosis) interact with more traditional forms of selection (i.e. sexual, kin, predation, parasitism, etc.) to shape arthropod evolution. 

Specifically, my research seeks to understand:

1. How the evolution of social insects is affected by the genomic conflicts generated by sexual selection, kin selection, and caste-specific selection operating on queen and worker body shape;
2. How horizontal gene transfers from bacteria and fungi into arthropod genomes affect the phenotypic and genomic evolution of the recipient species; and 
3. How endosymbiotic relationships between bacteria and arthropods affect the selective pressures faced by the host species, especially as it pertains to predation, parasitism, and infection.