- Department
- Email Address
- [email protected]
- Research Areas
- Research Keywords
- Research Description
I am interested in the diversity of life: How many species are there? Why are some groups of organisms more diverse than others? To answer these questions I look at DNA sequences, traits of diverse organisms, and information from the fossil record. I also contribute to the Barcode of Life campaign by exploring how DNA sequences can be used to answer scientific questions.
- Research Summary
My work spans five major axes of research:
1) The shape of the Tree of Life, including the relationships amongst species and the factors that influence the shape of this tree.
2) Major transitions in evolution, especially the frequency of transitions, the rate at which reversals occur, and the consequences of such transitions for molecular evolutionary patterns and speciation rates.
3) Evolutionary trends, with a focus on whether there are large-scale patterns in the history of life.
4) The diversity and integrity of freshwater ecosystems, including the diversity, distributions, traits, and origins of species.
5) The diversity of polar life, which I study using DNA barcoding to discover the true extent of arctic species diversity.- Techniques Used
DNA sequence and barcoding, organismal trait analysis, fossil record analysis, comparative analytical methods, freshwater invertebrates sampling
- Locations of international collaborators
Bolivia; Peru; Chinese Academy of Sciences (China); Göttingen University (Germany); Hong Kong Baptist University (China); Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina); Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway); University of the Western Cape (South Africa); University of Massachusetts (USA).
- Links