Overview
I study the evolution of genes and genomes with the broad aim of understanding the origins of biological diversity. My approach focuses on changes in the expression of genes using both empirical and computational approaches and spans scales of biological organization from single nucleotides through gene networks to entire genomes. At the finer end of this spectrum of scale, I am focusing on understanding the functional consequences and fitness components of specific genetic variants within …
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Biology
·
2005 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
·
2008 - Present
Evolutionary Anthropology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
·
2020 - Present
Biostatistics & Bioinformatics,
Basic Science Departments
Professor of Cell Biology
·
2022 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Publications
Lepidopteran scale cells derive from sensory organ precursors through a canonical lineage.
Journal Article Development (Cambridge, England) · March 2025 The success of butterflies and moths is tightly linked to the origin of scales within the group. A long-standing hypothesis postulates that scales are homologous to the well-described mechanosensory bristles found in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, ... Full text CiteGenetically tractable embryonic cell lines from sea urchins
Preprint · January 16, 2025 Full text CiteSingle-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Evolutionary Reconfiguration of Embryonic Cell Fate Specification in the Sea Urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma.
Journal Article Genome biology and evolution · January 2025 Altered regulatory interactions during development likely underlie a large fraction of phenotypic diversity within and between species, yet identifying specific evolutionary changes remains challenging. Analysis of single-cell developmental transcriptomes ... Full text Open Access CiteRecent Grants
Effectively Linking Molecular Informatics and Network Analytics to Reduce Malaria (ELIMINAR-Malaria)
ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2028Embryonic Cell Recognition: Specificity Determinants
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 1980 - 2028Roles for uniquely human enhancers in brain development and Wnt signaling
ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2027View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Duke University ·
1987
Ph.D.
College of William and Mary ·
1981
B.S.