My research explores the biological processes that structure complex interkingdom systems across the tree of life. By integrating global biodiversity sampling with histological and multi-omic approaches, I investigate how host–symbiont associations are shaped by ecoimmunological constraints over evolutionary timescales.
A major focus of my current work is developing next-generation biodiversity infrastructure that expands natural history collections beyond archival specimens to include integrated multi-omic resources, digitized phenotypic datasets, and biobanking of viable tissues for future cell-line generation and functional biology. I am particularly interested in how large-scale digitization and phylogenetically informed analyses can transform biodiversity repositories into computationally accessible systems for studying convergent evolution, uncovering latent biological design principles, and preserving evolutionary potential amid accelerating global biodiversity loss. I received my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University, where I was affiliated with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Previous appointments include the University of Chicago, UC San Diego School of Medicine, Scripps Research, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the University of Colorado Denver.