Current projects focus on two major areas of research. The first is to elucidate molecular mechanisms that define the architecture of the spindle and mitotic chromosomes. We are studying how these mechanisms generate the diversity of spindle morphologies observed across cell types, and how their alteration contributes to chromosome segregation defects observed in cancer cells and in inviable hybrid frog embryos. The second area is to examine size control mechanisms at the subcellular, cellular and organism levels. We are investigating how mitotic chromosome size scales with cell size, and leveraging ploidy manipulation and a variety of amphibian species to explore relationships among genome size, cell size, embryonic development, and metabolism. Our research is highly collaborative and provides new insight into principles of mitosis and size scaling, as well as the molecular basis of variation that contributes to genomic instability and evolution. Aside from research, my overarching professional goal is to provide a productive and nurturing environment for my group members and help guide them to the next phase of their careers.