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
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 Feb 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
Defining the Unseen: Population-Specific Markers for Astyanax mexicanus Blind Cavefish.
Defining the Unseen: Population-Specific Markers for Astyanax mexicanus Blind Cavefish. Zebrafish. 2024 06; 21(3):255-258.
PMID: 38354295
Male recognition of conspecific female chemical cues in a diverse clade of freshwater fishes.
Male recognition of conspecific female chemical cues in a diverse clade of freshwater fishes. J Fish Biol. 2024 Mar; 104(3):883-886.
PMID: 37906501
Phylogeographic relationships and morphological evolution between cave and surface Astyanax mexicanus populations (De Filippi 1853) (Actinopterygii, Characidae).
Phylogeographic relationships and morphological evolution between cave and surface Astyanax mexicanus populations (De Filippi 1853) (Actinopterygii, Characidae). Mol Ecol. 2023 Oct; 32(20):5626-5644.
PMID: 37712324
Genetic mapping of craniofacial traits in the Mexican tetra reveals loci associated with bite differences between cave and surface fish.
Genetic mapping of craniofacial traits in the Mexican tetra reveals loci associated with bite differences between cave and surface fish. BMC Ecol Evol. 2023 08 25; 23(1):41.
PMID: 37626324
Selection-driven trait loss in independently evolved cavefish populations.
Selection-driven trait loss in independently evolved cavefish populations. Nat Commun. 2023 05 03; 14(1):2557.
PMID: 37137902
Hybridization underlies localized trait evolution in cavefish.
Hybridization underlies localized trait evolution in cavefish. iScience. 2022 Feb 18; 25(2):103778.
PMID: 35146393
Pleiotropic function of the oca2 gene underlies the evolution of sleep loss and albinism in cavefish.
Pleiotropic function of the oca2 gene underlies the evolution of sleep loss and albinism in cavefish. Curr Biol. 2021 08 23; 31(16):3694-3701.e4.
PMID: 34293332