Ph.D., University of California, Riverside 1988

Research in my laboratory focuses on molecular evolution and molecular systematics, with an emphasis on the use of molecules to unravel mammalian evolutionary history. Specifically, we are interested in the following: Phylogenetic relationships among the orders of mammals Mammalian molecular clocks The biogeographic history of mammals in relation to plate tectonic events Reconstructing character transformations for key innovations in mammalian history The evolution of bats, including the origin of echolocation The evolution of mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal RNA molecules Evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements in sea urchins