About me

I am a biologist interested in the diversity and evolution of fruit-free plants, especially (but not exclusively) liverworts and conifers. I am currently a PhD candidate in the departement of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley in the Bryolab.

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Research interest

I am broadly interested in the diversity and evolution of liverworts. Specifically, I want to understand why currently named liverwort species tend to have very widespread distributions. During my PhD, I am addressing this question by (1) looking at genetic structure and dispersal capacity at the population level, (2) analyzing geographic patterns at the community level, (3) discovering phylogenetic patterns in relation to geography, and (4) addressing species concepts. In my career, I seek to understand the role of evolutionary forces such as selection on haploid organisms and microenvironment adaptation have had on the diversification and biogeographic patterns of this unique lineage of plants. I am interested in using phylogenetics as a tool for making conservation decisions, and for understanding evolutionary processes, especially when we are able to incorporate the invaluable temporal, morphological, and phylogenetic information from the fossil record that increases the accuracy of our phylogenetic and diversity through time estimates.