Profile
Department
Biology
Role: Faculty
Campus: Springfield
Postal mail
Missouri State University
Biology
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897
Details
Education
Ph.D. University of Northern Colorado – August 2018
- Biological Education, School of Biological Sciences
- Dissertation: Geographic variation in rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) song complexity
- Graduate Dean’s Citation for Excellence
B.A. University of California, Berkeley – August 2010
- Neurobiology, Molecular and Cell Biology
- Undergraduate Research: Variation in Fuelleborn’s Sunbird (Nectarinia fuelleborni) song on Tanzanian sky islands
Research and professional interests
I am a behavioral ecologist focusing on the evolution and geographic distribution of avian signaling and migratory systems. I’m particularly interested in the mechanisms of behavioral expression and evolution. My taxonomic focus is on birds generally, but I have particular interest in passerines, hummingbirds, and pigeons and doves.
My current projects are focused on the genomics of courtship and migratory behavior in hummingbirds and the distribution and evolutionary drivers of song repertoire size in passerines.