Welcome and thank you for visiting our lab website. Research in the laboratory revolves around the central theme of modern biology - evolution. Specifically, work in our lab involves the use of computational and experimental tools to explore and manipulate genomic DNA in various taxa ranging from flies to bats. We attempt to address questions related to how evolution works at the molecular level, how organisms are related to one another, how we can use information from the genome to investigate population dynamics, and how we can use information from DNA for forensic identification. Most of our projects involve the characterization and utilization of genetic markers known as mobile elements, which are DNA sequences that are able to make new copies of themselves and insert those copies elsewhere in the genome. Different types of mobile elements include the retrotranpsosons (SINEs, LINEs, etc.) and DNA transposons (P-elements, MITEs, etc.). Current projects include:

1. Detecting recently active mobile element families in various taxa including flies, crocodilians, bats and lizards.

2. Applying SINE analysis to practical questions in the fields of forensic identification, crocodilian genomics, population biology, phylogenetics, and conservation genetics.

3. Investigating the impact of mobile elements on genome evolution and diversification in a variety of taxa.