About

Broadly, our lab uses a phenomic approach to study how observable traits in organisms are coupled with changes in the environment, whether physical, social, or endogenous. To mitigate or cope with the impacts of a shifting environment, individuals express alternative phenotypes -- a mechanism known as phenotypic plasticity.

We study the expression of these phenotypes at the morphological, physiological, and behavioral level by using an integrative approach at multiple levels of analyses. Specifically, we focus on the endocrinological processes that underlie function from the subcellular to organismal level.

While we currently focus on fish and bird species that live in natural or semi-natural environments, all vertebrate species have almost the same set of hormones that regulate homeostasis and daily activity.

Our goal is to understand the mechanisms by which crosstalk between brain and peripheral organ systems regulate timely phenotypic expression, to increase reproductive success in organisms.