I am a molecular biologist interested in evolution and ecology. My graduate work was based on studying the recent evolution of distinct sex chromosomes (XY) in a flowering plant, Silene (commonly called Catchfly). My postdoctoral work with William Rice, here at UCSB, focused on sexual selection and the evolution of sexual conflict, primarily in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.  

Discerning the underlying patterns of population structure, genetic dispersal and natural selection from molecular data has always played a central role in my research.  I am presently working on population genetics of marine species, in particular a globally, and locally, invasive bryozoan, Watersipora, and the intertidal rockweed Silvetia compressa, using Next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques.  I am also working on the microbiomes of kelp forest species, including invertebrates and fishes, and the role of the microbiome in the physiology and ecology of these species.