Our lab combines behavioral research with various -omic technologies to understand the adaptive and mechanistic underpinnings of complex trait evolution and species diversification. Our overarching goal is to test fundamental hypotheses in evolutionary biology using natural populations (often stream fishes). We are also particularly interested in leveraging systems that exhibit repeated evolution of similar phenotypes to infer the neural and genetic basis of complex adaptive traits and the predictability of the evolutionary process.
University of Chicago
Chicago Fellow
2023
University of Minnesota
Postdoc
2022
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
PhD
2019
Northern Illinois University
MS
2013
Northern Illinois University
BS
2011
Cave evolution on repeat: reuse of the same genomic regions across lineages of Astyanax mexicanus.
Cave evolution on repeat: reuse of the same genomic regions across lineages of Astyanax mexicanus. Genetics. 2026 Oct 07; 234(2).
PMID: 42631504
The Genomic Complexity of Invasion: Cryptic Lineages, Founder Effects and Sex Determination in Armoured Catfish.
The Genomic Complexity of Invasion: Cryptic Lineages, Founder Effects and Sex Determination in Armoured Catfish. Mol Ecol. 2026 Oct; 35(20).
PMID: 42946968
Temperature-dependent competition predicts contrasting outcomes of adjacent secondary contact zones in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma).
Temperature-dependent competition predicts contrasting outcomes of adjacent secondary contact zones in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma). Evolution. 2026 Sep 07; 80(9):1970-1982.
PMID: 42315488
Lineage-specific decoupling of arginine vasotocin-evoked aggression in male darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae).
Lineage-specific decoupling of arginine vasotocin-evoked aggression in male darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae). Horm Behav. 2026 May; 181:105934.
PMID: 41985259
Cave evolution on repeat: reuse of the same genomic regions across lineages but not across traits in Astyanax mexicanus.
Cave evolution on repeat: reuse of the same genomic regions across lineages but not across traits in Astyanax mexicanus. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 03.
PMID: 41676532
Elevated DNA damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican cavefish.
Elevated DNA damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican cavefish. Elife. 2025 Nov 14; 13.
PMID: 41235647
Cohort Profile: Our Future Health.
Cohort Profile: Our Future Health. Int J Epidemiol. 2025 Oct 14; 54(6).
PMID: 41092131
Population Genomics of Premature Termination Codons in Cavefish With Substantial Trait Loss.
Population Genomics of Premature Termination Codons in Cavefish With Substantial Trait Loss. Mol Biol Evol. 2025 02 03; 42(2).
PMID: 39833658
Long-term hybridization in a karst window reveals the genetic basis of eye loss in cavefish.
Long-term hybridization in a karst window reveals the genetic basis of eye loss in cavefish. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 28.
PMID: 39554031
Elevated DNA Damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican Cavefish.
Elevated DNA Damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican Cavefish. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 21.
PMID: 38659770