This website primarily describes my academic work in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto.

I am interested in evolutionary ecology. As a lab group, we have investigated how the diverging evolutionary interests of males and females drive rapid diversification in reproductive morphology and behaviour, how natural and sexual selection interact to shape the extraordinary diversity of sex differences seen in nature. We have also investigated the forces shaping the evolution and plasticity of major events in the life histories of organisms, including metamorphosis, maturation and aging.

Our approaches have centred on whole-organism field and laboratory experiments, but also include quantitative genetics, developmental genetics, gene expression analyses, comparative studies, and the development of new theory.

Much of our work has relied on water striders as a model system, but we have also worked with other insects — beetles, other true bugs, flies, and damselflies — as well as fish and amphibians, when they offer the best system for a particular question.

Biodiversity and Citizen Science on the Sunshine Coast

On another topic... I now spend most of my time on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Here, I have become interested in citizen science, its engagement of local volunteers, young and old, and its contribution to formal science. The Coast is home to a remarkable concentration of non-profit organizations dedicated to conservation and stewardship of its extraordinary biodiversity. I built this website to celebrate those organizations and connect community members with hands-on volunteer opportunities in monitoring, conservation and education. The site also provides information on recent local biodiversity research and how citizen science fuels it, and local natural history resources.