Most of my research centers around the neural, muscular, and hormonal basis of animal displays. I study how these systems are rewritten to accommodate the evolution of new signaling traits, such as the elaborate gestural and dance displays that species use to court mates to fight off rivals. My work uses a variety of taxa, with a special emphasis on tropical birds and frogs. To this end, my studies span both field and laboratory settings and incorporate techniques from behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, muscle physiology, neuroscience, and molecular genetics.
National Science Foundation, REU site grant
PI: Biology of animal movement and performance
Sep 2022 to Aug 2025
National Science Foundation, IRES grant
PI: Neurobiology and evolution of frog dance displays in Austria and India
Nov 2020 to Oct 2024
National Science Foundation, MRI grant
Co-PI: Development of microXROMM for high-resolution X-ray motion imaging of small animals
Aug 2020 to July 2023
National Science Foundation, IOS research grant
PI: Neuroendocrine Basis of Gestural Display Evolution
July 2017 to June 2021
