My current research interests focus generally on snake venom diversity and antivenom efficacy, however my broader interests include squamate systematics, conservation and historical biogeography. I currently investigate variations in pit viper venoms from North America and the neutralizing efficacy of currently available antivenoms, but remain highly interested in the biodiversity of Southeast Asia, and the forces that have shaped that diversity. Additionally, conservation is always an underlying theme in all of my research. I strive to improve the interface of my research with the non-academic community, through public outreach and access to publications. Much of my research is specimen-based, necessarily relying on biodiversity surveys and natural history collections. It is also along these lines that I am able to incorporate a field research component into most of my projects. These have historically been Philippine in nature, though future projects will likely involve field work throughout much of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia. I am currently a HIDRA Fellow in the lab of Dr. Jack Sites, in the Biology Department at Brigham Young University. I received both my B.S. and M.A. from the University of Kansas, working under the tutelage of Dr. Rafe Brown.
I have always been intrigued with the natural world. Beginning in high school, I was able to get directly involved in biodiversity surveys and field ecology throughout Kansas, focusing on reptiles and amphibians, small terrestrial mammals and bats, and birds of prey. It was also during this time that I was formally introduced to the captive husbandry of reptiles and amphibians by having a high school biology teacher, Stan Roth, who introduced students to reptile and amphibian diversity by maintaining many of Kansas' native herps in his biology lab. My interest in husbandry and diversity continued through my undergraduate career at the University of Kansas, working at a local pet store and reptile breeding facility in Lawrence, KS. This opportunity introduced me to the global impact that commercial trade can have on reptiles and amphibians in particular, and it was this experience that continues to motivate me to maintain a conservation aspect in all of my research.
The herpetological diversity of our planet continues to offer insights into evolutionary processes, including speciation and response to climate change. Understanding these processes is essential if we are to gain insight into ecosystem function, both current and future. Similarly, the only way we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the human impact on global ecosystems is by understanding all of their working parts. The close ties that reptiles and amphibians have with their relative ecosystems makes them ideal and necessary candidate for conservation and studies of evolutionary processes.
I have always been intrigued with the natural world. Beginning in high school, I was able to get directly involved in biodiversity surveys and field ecology throughout Kansas, focusing on reptiles and amphibians, small terrestrial mammals and bats, and birds of prey. It was also during this time that I was formally introduced to the captive husbandry of reptiles and amphibians by having a high school biology teacher, Stan Roth, who introduced students to reptile and amphibian diversity by maintaining many of Kansas' native herps in his biology lab. My interest in husbandry and diversity continued through my undergraduate career at the University of Kansas, working at a local pet store and reptile breeding facility in Lawrence, KS. This opportunity introduced me to the global impact that commercial trade can have on reptiles and amphibians in particular, and it was this experience that continues to motivate me to maintain a conservation aspect in all of my research.
The herpetological diversity of our planet continues to offer insights into evolutionary processes, including speciation and response to climate change. Understanding these processes is essential if we are to gain insight into ecosystem function, both current and future. Similarly, the only way we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the human impact on global ecosystems is by understanding all of their working parts. The close ties that reptiles and amphibians have with their relative ecosystems makes them ideal and necessary candidate for conservation and studies of evolutionary processes.