I am an Evolutionary Biologist with a particular interest in exploring the mechanisms involved in shaping animal individuality in terms of behavior and its evolutionary consequences. My research focuses on evolutionary and behavioral ecology, using diverse model systems such as birds and reptiles, and now insects, to examine how behavioral diversity arises. My goal is to investigate the genetic and neural mechanisms underlying ecologically relevant and complex behaviors and how these are shaped through evolution.
In my project at the Brand Lab, I am studying mating behavior within an evolutionary framework to investigate the influence that symbionts, particularly Wolbachia, have in the reproductive isolation between incipient species of Drosophila.