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 the nightbirds, as we know that the diurnal Apodiformes are nested within the nocturnal or crepuscular Caprimulgiformes (this resultant clade is now referred to by the superordinal name Strisores).

As a postdoc, I am located in the Retinal Development, Genetics and Therapy section of the Neurobiology Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory within the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health (say that three times fast). Here, I am using an evolutionary perspective to understand the diversity of visual types, including nocturnal vs. diurnal vision, and foveated vs. afoveated vision. I am also developing histological/microscopy methods to efficiently identify foveae across avian species, using this as a tool in my effort to characterize vertebrate foveal development.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Comparative Genomics of Vision

Using a diverse sampling covering the extant radiation of vertebrates, I am conducting a comparative analysis of the molecular basis of phototransduction and the evolution of retinal cell types. This work approach is important to understanding the regulation of photoreceptor function and development. Additionally, I am developing histological/microscopy methods to conduct efficient morphological surveys of retinal cells across vertebrate.

Evolution of Nocturnality in Birds

I have developed a molecular tool to efficiently capture all of the genes of the phototransduction cascade (PTC) from any extant species of bird. With this tool, I am investigating 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. Complementing analyses of the molecular evolution of PTC genes, I am analyzing retinal transcriptomes of both nocturnal and diurnal species.

Improving Phylogenomic Estimation

I am interested in molecular phylogenetics, specifically the use of UCEs--a class of novel genome-scale phylogenetic markers--to resolve deep evolutionary divergences. To this end, I  collected a dataset of ~5,000 of these elements from 193 species representing the diversity of living birds. My research seeks to identify best methods for using UCEs in phylogenomics, by analyzing their characteristics from two empirical datasets--Hymenoptera (bees and ants) and Aves (birds). More about UCEs is available here.