Supporting Scientists - Principal Investigators @ Caltech

“Interactions between species have been central to life's diversification. My lab studies rove beetles (Staphylinidae) a hugely species-rich clade that has repeatedly evolved highly intimate and phenotypically elaborate symbioses with ants. We are interested in the core molecular and neurobiological circuitry by which reciprocal signals are exchanged between ant and beetle, fostering their interaction. Our research combines genomics and developmental biology with chemical ecology and behavioral neuroscience to explore all facets of the ant-beetle interaction and its evolutionary basis.”

Genetic, genomic and neurobiological basis of symbiotic interactions in animals