As an evolutionary biologist, I specialize on the evolution of morphology and anatomy, particularly in vertebrates. My work explores biological problems through biomechanical, developmental, paleontological, and phylogenetic perspectives. My dissertation primarily focused on testing the evolution of form/function relationships in the unique and novel arrangements of jaw muscles in rodents. In particular, I study how these new muscular biomechanics operate specialized rodent dentition and allow rodents to exploit and explore the most diverse dietary ecologies of all mammals. I am generally interested in cranial biology and have active projects exploring the evolution, function, and development of mammalian frontonasal sinuses and the structures of the middle ear using x-ray CT scanning technology and museum specimens.

 

My passion for education is to showcase the immense biodiversity and beauty of natural systems to inspire and motivate students. In the tradition of Paulo Freire, I believe in dialectical and active learning that encourages students to use and develop their own perspectives and creativity in the classroom to co-create knowledge. As a first-generation scientist myself, I believe it is essential to uplift marginalized, underprivileged, and diverse perspectives in the classroom and to develop an environment that critically engages with the coloniality of STEM education. Themes in my teaching include mechanisms of evolution, deep-time paleontology/macroevolution, comparative and phylogenetic perspectives, metabolic constraints in prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes, organismal biology, developmental biology, ecological sustainability, and indigenous ecological relations versus settler colonial extractivism.