Research

I seek to understand how genomic variation is influenced and to understand how genomic elements interact. I explore these topics with a variety of bioinformatic techniques, including next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq, RAD-seq, Exome sequencing) and different statistical analyses (Bayesian, Frequentist, and machine learning).

Bioinformatics

Genomic scale datasets are becoming the standard in modern biology. Understanding how to process and analyze this data is critical. My research focuses on developing tools and resources that allow researchers to analyze their data and understand how the methods work. Work has included developing an R package to identify signals of differential introgression and a pipeline to identify signatures of local adaptation.

Local Adaptation

Understanding how species will respond to future environmental change is critical. One way to understand how species will respond in the future is to understand how species have responded in the past or how species occupy large distributions with a range of environmental conditions. Plasticity and local adaptation are classic mechanisms that allow species to withstand change. I have used genomic data (ddRADseq) and genome-environment association analyses to identify putative signals of local adaptation in lizards, kangaroo rats, and a threatened rainforest plant. I have recently started an RNA-seq project to identify differential gene expression in desert horned lizards and determine if populations have locally adapted to their environments or if plasticity may allow the species to respond to different environments.

Hybridization

I am interested in why hybridization occurs. What processes promote hybridization, and what mechanisms cause introgression in some genomic regions but not others? Part of my dissertation focuses on hybridization and differential introgression in Caribean anoles. In this project, my collaborators and I find evidence of hybridization, introduce an R package to identify signals of differential introgression, and use demographic models and simulations to support our findings. The manuscript for this project is currently in review at Molecular Ecology.

Population Genomics

Population genomics provides the foundation of my research. Most of my projects include a population genomics component and use these techniques as a base for comparison between species, populations, etc. Differences in population genomic statistics can provide evidence of past responses to environmental change, range expansion, and introgression, among many other things.