2009-present, Assistant Professor, Biology Department, University of Miami 2007-2009, Assistant Researcher, Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii 2003-2007, Postdoctoral fellow in Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii 2003, Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, University of Chicago 1994, B.A. in Biological Sciences, University of Chicago

Research in my lab is focused on investigating patterns of change underlying animal diversity.  We employ a wide range of experimental approaches to explore the molecular genetic relationship between genotype and phenotype from both developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Current work in the lab primarily use cultures of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi as a model. Evolutionary investigations extending from analysis of this model include work with a broad range of organisms and their genomes.

Kao, D., Lai, A. G., Stamataki, E., Rosic, S., Konstantides, N., Jarvis, E., Di Donfrancesco, A., Pouchkina-Stancheva, N., Semon, M., Grillo, M., Bruce, H., Kumar, S., Siwanowicz, I., Le, A., Lemire, A., Eisen, M. B., Extavour, C., Browne, W. E., Wolf, C., Averof, M., Patel, N. H., Sarkies, P., Pavlopoulos, A., Aboobaker, A. A.. (2016) The genome of the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis: a model for animal development, regeneration, immunity and lignocellulose digestion. eLife 5, e20062.001 LINK Presnell, J. S., Vandepas, L. E., Warren, K. J., Swalla, B. J., Amemiya, C. T., Browne, W. E.. (2016) The presence of a functionally tripartite through-gut in Ctenophora has implications for metazoan character trait evolution. Current Biology, 26, 2814-2820. LINK