Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

My broad interest is in comparative vertebrate development and evolution. Specifically I am interested in how the head skeleton of vertebrates has changed over the course of evolution. I therefore study a very important population of cells, called the neural crest cells, which migrates from the developing brain to become the bones and cartilages of the head; ultimately producing the incredibly diverse skulls seen today. My focus is on part of the skeleton situated within the eye (namely, scleral ossicles and scleral cartilage) and how development of the eye contributes to shaping the vertebrate skull. I compare the development and morphology (shape) of the ocular skeleton in different vertebrates, primarily in birds and fish. The use of fish as a model will provide important alternative perspectives to understanding skeletal biology, compared to those obtained from more traditional model organisms, such as mammals (mice, rats) and birds (chicken). One of the other fish species I use in my research is the Mexican tetra, which exists as two forms (morphs) of one species; one blind, one sighted. This difference within a single species allows me to explore the tissue interactions between the developing eye and surrounding skeleton; two systems that are usually the focus of independent studies. For an evolutionary perspective, I also study the skulls of fossil vertebrates to assess the homology of skeletal elements, to understand evolutionary trajectories and to attempt to infer developmental processes that took place millions of years ago. Ultimately, I am interested in understanding how neural crest cells develop (differentiate), how tissues (bone and cartilage) are patterned and how morphological (shape) variations emerge. The proposed research program has a multi-faceted and comparative approach; it will contribute to our understanding of skeletal biology, organismal biology and mechanisms of evolution.