NSF Career Award

I was recently awarded an NSF CAREER award titled,  The Developmental Regulation of Amniote Skull Diversity. In this newly funded project, we will investigate how vertebrate skull diversity is established in the embryo. In spite of decades of interest in skull development, the development of a lizard skull has not been widely investigated, particularly in regards to molecular patterning mechanisms. This research will shed new light on the previously undescribed processes that create the head of a lizard and allow the lab to reconstruct how evolutionary modifications in developmental processes led to the diversity we observe in skull form.

As part of this award we will be working with professional educators around Illinois to develop learning modern learning modules for high school and undergraduate classrooms. Look for Getting Ahead in Life to appear in coming years.