I am an integrative biologist. My goal is to discover the physical, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of trait expression and use this knowledge to understand the evolution and adaptive potential of animals. By integrating genomic, transcriptomic, chemical and molecular functional analyses, my work has revealed essential mechanisms of animal coloration and vision. I am a principal investigator supported by state and federal grants. I supervise trainees from the undergraduate to postdoctoral levels and maintain long-term international collaborations. I am a dedicated educator with classroom experience ranging from large enrollment introductory molecular and cellular biology courses to graduate-level seminars in neuroscience and sensory biology.