I am interested in the evolutionary forces that shape diversification and the genomics of adaptation. The ant (Prenolepis imparis) I plan to work on is a cold temperature specialist. I will study the geographic patterns of genetic variation within P. imparis and hopefully discover the genes responsible for allowing local temperature adaptation. I hope to analyze the transcriptomes of different populations under different conditions to get an idea of the genes responsible for this adaptation. I want to incorporate phylogeography, behavioral ecology, genomics, and experimental manipulations into my work.
