Grant: University Faculty Award

My broad interest is in comparative vertebrate development and evolution.  Initially I intend to build on my previous research investigating the developing eye and its skeleton.  As a developmental biologist, I am interested in how the head skeleton of vertebrates has changed over the course of evolution and how the eye contributes to shaping this skeleton.  I compare these structures as well as the processes that contribute to their development and morphology (shape) in a number of different vertebrates, primarily birds and fish.  For a historical perspective, I investigate fossil organisms, in particular early land animals and bony fish, and attempt to infer developmental processes that took place millions of years ago.  My research program is novel as it combines the study of fossils (paleontology) with the study of body shape (morphology) and development in living organisms.  This combination is called evolutionary developmental biology or evo-devo.  My research program also integrates eye development with skeletal development, two systems that interact during development but which are usually the focus of independent research groups.  Microscopy is a critical tool to understanding development.  By combining microscopy with a molecular approach, my research program is both powerful and novel.  Understanding the development of eyes and skeletons and how underlying developmental processes have evolved or changed over time will contribute to our understanding of organismal biology and mechanisms of evolution.