Kelly O’Quin joined Centre as assistant professor of biology in 2014. O’Quin’s research focuses on microevolutionary changes in eye development, structure, and function. His study systems include the Mexican blind cavefishes and African cichlid fishes. O’Quin uses genetic crosses and genome sequencing of these fishes to identify mutations responsible for evolutionary changes in eye development, especially as they relate to photoreceptor differentiation. He has published his research with undergraduate co-authors in the journals PLoS ONE, BMC Evolutionary Biology, and Evolution & Development. He enjoys mentoring research students interested in evolutionary biology, genetics, and genomics. O’Quin teaches Introductory Biology, Genetics, Cave Ecology, Biostatistics, and Genomics. He received a B.S. in biology from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in behavior, ecology, evolution and systematics from the University of Maryland.