Our lab applies computational and experimental genomic approaches to study how genome sequences specify organismal form and function. We are particularly interested in the regulation of gene expression, and focus on:

• how the information that specifies when and where genes are expressed is encoded in genome sequences
• the role that regulated gene expression plays in animal development and the response of microbes to their environments
• how variation in and evolution of gene expression contributes to phenotypic variation and the remarkable diversity of life on Earth.

Current Projects in the Lab

Comprehensive characterization of the regulatory network in the early Drosophila embryo

Identification of regulatory sequences in Drosophila

Understanding the functional constraints on regulatory sequence evolution in flies

Characterizing the evolution of gene regulation in fungi

Developing a theory of the molecular evolution of regulatory sequences

Using genomic tools to study ecology and amphibian decline