I am a postdoctoral associate with Dr. Antonis Rokas (Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University) and Matthew Pennell (Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California). My research generally focuses on using computational methods to study evolution at the molecular level, both within and across species. Currently, my research focuses on (1) understanding the evolution of gene expression across species at multiple regulatory levels and (2) understanding how the bioenergetic costs related to gene expression shapes protein evolution, e.g. codon usage bias. By combining population genetic and phylogenetic models with omics-scale data (transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.), I currently are or have addressed important questions in these areas of research, including:

• To what extent do translation and post-translation regulation drive gene expression divergence?
• Does functional similarity lead to coevolution of gene expression?
• What factors shape variation in codon usage patterns across species?
• Does natural selection on codon usage generally differ related to protein folding and structure?

As part of the Rokas lab, I will be expanding to understand how changes at the molecular level lead to morphological variation in model and non-model fungi.