My overall research focus is on molecular evolution. For my doctoral work I  focused primarily on phylogenetics, specifically the inference of evolutionary relationships among species using genome-scale markers. I worked on ultraconserved elements (UCEs), using available genomes to investigate potential function(s) of UCEs, and analyzed how UCE loci inform phylogeny. I applied UCEs to elucidate the evolutionary switch between nocturnality and diurnality in these birds, as we know that the diurnal Apodiformes are nested within the nocturnal/crepuscular Caprimulgiformes (now give the superorder name Strisores). I also investigated the molecular basis of nocturnal vision across the avian tree of life, and ultimately hope to answer questions about the evolutionary advantages and the adaptive basis of a nocturnal lifestyle for those birds that have adopted one. This is work I will pursue in my postdoc.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Improving the Avian Tree of Life

I am deeply interested in molecular phylogenetics, specifically the use of UCEs--a class of novel genome-scale phylogenetic markers--to resolve deep evolutionary divergences. I have collected a dataset of ~5,000 of these elements from 193 species representing the diversity of living birds.

Molecular Evolution of Ultraconserved Elements

Despite their demonstrated utility for the resolution of phylogeny at both deep and shallow evolutionary timescales, we still know relatively little about UCEs. My research seeks to identify "best practices" for using UCEs in phylogenomics, by analyzing their characteristics from two empirical datasets--Hymenoptera and Aves. More about UCEs is available here.

Comparative Genomics of Vision

 Using our improved estimate of bird phylogeny based on UCEs, I seek to trace the evolutionary history of nocturnality on the avian tree of life. To do so, I focus on molecular adaptations present in genes of the phototransduction (PT) cascade. I was awarded an National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to develop a custom enrichment probe set that will enable the efficient capture of all genes of the PT cascade from any extant species of bird.