Research & background

I’m an evolutionary biologist integrating physiology and genomics to understand the drivers and limits of environmental adaptation and acclimation. I study how the structure and variation of genomes and epigenomes constrains or facilitates adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity. This work spans molecular, organismal, and population levels. I primarily research marine animals such as polar ectotherms, coastal invertebrates, and deep sea fishes. While I also work to address fundamental biological questions, my training in marine ecology is central to how I approach questions in physiological and molecular evolution.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Kelley Lab, I’m studying the evolution of antifreeze proteins in polar fishes through the lens of structural genomic variation. I completed my PhD at UC Santa Barbara where I studied the evolution and regulation of thermal acclimation. In my postdoc, I’m also continuing my research on phenotypic plasticity and acclimation’s evolution by - and effect on - natural selection.


Non-model genomics

As a co-leader of the MarineOmics working group, I aim to promote training resources and methodological advancements for genomic research in marine and non-model species. Our website marineomics.io publishes markdown-style blog posts sharing tutorials, perspectives, and new methods related to population genomics, functional genomics, genome assembly, and genome-phenome mapping. Find out more under the MarineOmics.io tab.


Illustration

Scientific visuals can be much more than nice-looking graphs. I try to unify my passions for science and art through illustration. In 2024, my work was featured on the cover of Genome Biology & Evolution and can be found throughout my recent publications.