Teaching

Developmental Biology
Developmental Genetics

Graduate Program Affiliations

• BISI-Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)
• BISI-Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics (BEES)

Research Interests

I am interested in the evolution of development. Several different animals are used in my research. The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is a single species with eyed surface dwelling and blind cave dwelling forms. I want to understand the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for phenotypic changes in Astyanax cavefish. I am also interested in the ancestry of the neural crest and regeneration in chordates. For this research I use sea squirts (ascidians), especially Ciona intestinalis, which has a completely sequenced genome.

Awards

• Fellow, AAAS
• Fellow, Linnean Society
• Honorary Member, Saint Petersburg (Russia) Society of Naturalists
• 2010, Karst Waters Institute Research Award
• 2012 Alexander Kowalevsky Medal
• 2018, National Speleological Society Science Award
• 2021, CMNS Board of Visitors Distinguished Faculty Award

Education

Ph.D., Biology, University of Iowa, 1971. Evolution of developmental mechanisms in chordates.

All Publications