I am a postdoctoral biologist and entomologist with experience in evolutionary biology, ecology, and taxonomy. My current position is in Dr. Akihiro Nakamura’s lab at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in Yunnan, China, where I am exploring vertical stratification of tropical forest ant diversity, behavior, and morphological traits. I received my Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago, advised by Dr. Corrie Moreau in the Ant Lab at the Field Museum of Natural History (now at Cornell University). During my doctoral work, I used genus-level data across all ants as well as the spiny and speciose ant genus Polyrhachis to investigate patterns of morphological evolution, including the impacts of morphology on speciation and the ecological functions of spinescence. To learn more about my academic work and other activities, feel free to explore the tabs in the menu above.

I am also editor-in-chief of The Daily Ant, an online outlet dedicated to sharing interesting and amusing myrmecological news and other ant content. The site has been on hiatus for the past year, but I hope to resume posting soon!