Our research projects focus on using phylogenetic trees inferred from gene sequences as frameworks to understand speciation, biodiversity, character evolution, host-symbiont cophylogeny, and molecular evolution. Our interests mainly involve freeliving and parasitic nematodes, although we investigate certain other parasitic groups in collaboration with other labs. Our main research is a National Science Foundation ARTS project undertaken with the laboratory of Jim Baldwin (University of California Riverside). This work is designed to investigate the biodiversity and phylogenetics of soil nematodes from the Sonoran Desert, and to develop and evaluate new methods for assessing nematode diversity. See the Projects page for a more detailed description of research in our laboratory.