The Tree of Life is abundantly rich with a varied and multifaceted complex of organisms that we collectively refer to as “biodiversity.” Mechanisms to explain the origin and evolution of Earth’s rich biota are ultimately tied to the genealogical relationships that unite all living things. My research is broadly focused on reconstructing these phylogenetic relationships in teleost fishes using genomic information.
Developing phylogenetic hypotheses of fish clades is an interesting endeavor; however, I am excited to apply these phylogenies to investigate patterns and mechanisms of diversification in these lineages. This work involves estimation of divergence times using fossil-calibrated phylogenies, historical biogeographic analyses, discovering patterns of morphological and ecological disparity, and investigating the evolution of reproductive isolation.