Research Focus
Evolutionary Genetics
I am interested in understanding how evolutionary processes give rise to biological complexity, novelty, and the diversity of life. To explore this, I investigate the genes and behaviors contributing to record-breaking speciation rates in Laupala crickets on the Hawaiian Islands. A focus of my research is the evolution of sexual signal divergence. Signals and preferences are often tightly matched within species, enabling successful mate recognition. Nature is filled with diverse sexual signals, indicating the evolution of new signals and preferences from older, successful communication systems. How do novel sexual signals, potentially leading to reproductive isolation, evolve without eroding successful communication? Jointly with my research, I am passionate about (Hawaiian) conservation issues, from coral reefs to crickets.