Background and activities
Research in my lab involves analyzing genome sequences in order to reconstruct and interpret the evolutionary histories of plants, animals, and their pathogens. I am particularly attracted to cases in which ancient/degraded DNA derived from natural history collections allows us to explain present-day distributions of biodiversity by looking directly into the past.
Research opportunities for graduate students are available in my lab. I encourage you to make contact if you are interested in becoming involved.
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2018) Implications and future prospects for evolutionary analyses of DNA in historical herbarium collections. Botany Letters. vol. 165 (3-4).
- (2018) Herbarium collection-based phylogenetics of the ragweeds (Ambrosia, Asteraceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. vol. 120.
- (2018) Recent Asian origin of chytrid fungi causing global amphibian declines. Science. vol. 360.
- (2017) The next generation fungal diversity researcher. Fungal Biology Reviews. vol. 31 (3).
- (2017) Determination of genetic relatedness from low-coverage human genome sequences using pedigree simulations. Molecular Ecology. vol. 26 (16).
- (2017) Characterizing restriction enzyme-associated loci in historic ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) voucher specimens using custom-designed RNA probes. Molecular Ecology Resources. vol. 17 (2).
- (2017) An ‛Aukward’ tale: a genetic approach to discover the whereabouts of the last Great Auks. Genes. vol. 8 (6).
- (2016) Genome-culture coevolution drives rapid divergence in the killer whale. Nature Communications. vol. 7.
- (2016) The population genomic basis of geographic differentiation in North American common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). Ecology and Evolution. vol. 6 (11).
- (2016) Genomic characterization of a South American Phytophthora hybrid mandates reassessment of the geographic origins of Phytophthora infestans. Molecular biology and evolution. vol. 33.
- (2016) Historic late blight outbreaks caused by a widespread dominant lineage of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary. PLoS ONE. vol. 11:e0168381 (12).
- (2015) Ancient genomics. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. vol. 370.
- (2014) Persistence of the mitochondrial lineage of the Irish potato famine pathogen in the New World. Molecular biology and evolution. vol. 31.
- (2014) Herbarium specimens reveal a phylogeographic shift in common ragweed during native range disturbance. Molecular Ecology. vol. 23.
- (2014) Characterizing ancient genomes: from sequence reads to SNP detection, phylogenomics, and metagenomics analyses. Nature Protocols. vol. 9.
- (2014) Comparative genomics reveals insights into avian genome evolution and adaptation. Science. vol. 346 (6215).
- (2013) Reconstructing genome evolution in historic samples of the Irish potato famine pathogen. Nature Communications. vol. 4.
- (2010) Anthesis synchronization and floral morphology determine diurnal patterns of ragweed pollen dispersal. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. vol. 150.
- (2009) Pollen clumping and wind dispersal in an invasive angiosperm. American Journal of Botany. vol. 96.
- (2007) Plant-atmosphere exchange: field studies in the dispersion of pollen in the lower atmosphere. Geophysical Research Abstracts. vol. 9.