Research Interests:

My main interests are in plant systematics, biogeography, and evolution though I am also interested in ecology, conservation, and the restoration of natural habitats. My research combines fieldwork, herbarium work, and molecular study.

Currently I am a postdoc working in the Burleigh and Soltis Labs at the University of Florida. Our project is focused on large scale plastid phylogenetics using next-generation sequence data and the development of informatics and analytical tools for plastid genome assembly and analysis. This work is funded by the iPlant Collaborative.

I am also continuing the work I began during my dissertation to further resolve the phylogeny of the clusioid clade (Malpighiales). The clusioids consist of five families (Bonnetiaceae, Calophyllaceae, Clusiaceae, Hypericaceae, and Podostemaceae) and have both tropical and temperate representatives. Examples of plants included in this group are the St. John’s worts; the tropical fruits, the mangosteen and the mammey apple; and the river-weeds. It is my hope that by resolving relationships within this clade, we can begin to understand the systematics, biogeography, and character evolution within this fascinating group of plants.