Evolution depends on genetic variation, but that variation is interpreted and shaped through development. Our lab explores how changes in genes, cells, and tissues generate the rich diversity of biological form, and how developmental and evolutionary processes work together to shape it. By studying butterflies and moths, we uncover how developmental change produces the extraordinary variety of wing patterns, wing shapes, and other adaptive traits shaped by ecological interactions, from mate choice to defense.

Our long‑term goal is to uncover the developmental and genetic mechanisms that translate variation into form, and to understand the rules that govern how complex traits can evolve.