I am fascinated by the biogeography and taxonomy of butterflies.
Currently, I am interested in the evolution of toxic milkweed butterflies in the genus Euploea. Found across the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, Euploea features both wide-ranging and island-endemic species, which serve as models and mimics in Batesian and Müllerian mimicry complexes with a high degree of geographic variability.
The phylogeny of the genus is not well understood, and after resolving it through genetic sequencing and analysis, I am interested in investigating the role of biogeography in the evolution of morphological, behavioral, and chemical traits within the group. I am especially interested in determining how each of these can potentially improve understanding of the taxonomy of the group, and inform taxonomic thought in general.
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| EDUCATION |
| 2013 - | Ph.D. in Biology (EEB) (The Graduate Center at CUNY) |
| 2007 - 2011 | A.B. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (Harvard University) |
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| SELECTED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE |
| 2009 - 2010 | Research Assistant, Harvard University
Advisor: Dr. Naomi Pierce
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| GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS |
| Summer 2010 | Museum of Comparative Zoology Grant in Undergraduate Research |
| Summer 2009 | Office of International Programs Summer Travel Grant
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| SELECTED WORK EXPERIENCE |
| 2012 - 2013 | Curatorial Assistant, Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany, Cambridge, MA |
| 2011 | Collections Assistant, Lepidoptera Collection, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, MA |
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