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, MCA research grant
PI: Neural control of elaborate gestural displays
Feb 2025 to Jan 2028
National Science Foundation, IRES grant
PI: Neurobiological basis of elaborate display evolution in frogs endemic to the Asian tropics
Sep 2024 to Aug 2027
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