Research

undergraduate research

September 2018: September 2018: I am excited to be supervising two exceptional undergraduate thesis students this year. Their projects involve DNA metabarcoding for detection of fish species in lake water samples and screening for diet in caribou scat.

BIOL 4010Y, 4020D: Research Thesis (Sc)
Students investigate a specific field of interest under the guidance of a faculty member. BIOL 4020D is a double credit in Biology. BIOL 4010Y is a single credit because the same thesis is submitted to the other department/program in a joint-major or is submitted in conjunction with BIOL 4400Y. Prerequisite: 15.0 university credits; the Animal Care Course (p. 20), if applicable; a minimum average of 75% in BIOL courses completed; and agreement of a faculty member to supervise the project. (In some cases, it may be possible to take BIOL 4020D with a cumulative average of 70% in Biology courses if recommended by a faculty member willing to supervise it.) To be accepted into a joint thesis course, the student must meet the requirements of both programs.

research projects

genomic ancestry of north american canis

Work continues with multiple collaborators on the Canis Ancestry project at Princeton University. This is a large-scale genomics project to clarify ancestry of Canis species in North America. We are using RAD sequencing on thousands of samples across a broad geographic range to identify genome-wide ancestry informative and adaptive markers in various Canis types.

Find out more at canineancestry.princeton.edu or follow on Twitter @K9ancestry

red wolf genomics

Along with several collaborators, I am working on RAD-sequencing research to identify ancestry informative and adaptive markers in the southern US Red Wolf population. This research project dovetails with the much larger North American Canine Ancestry Project.

eastern wolf survey

For the past few years I have been collecting noninvasive samples from wolves and coyotes to create genetic profiles to use in Canis assignment tests. This research has helped clarify the extent of occurrence for eastern wolves in Ontario and Quebec. Find out more at easternwolfsurvey.ca or follow me on Twitter @EastWolfSurvey

hops

Inspired by my love of beer and evolutionary processes, I am working on a research project to understand the epigenetic mechanisms associated with various flavour and aromas of hop varieties. A preliminary methylome comparison of Nugget (used for bittering) and Cascade (used for aroma) varieties is underway with plans to expand the project in 2016.

environmental dna

Environmental DNA is broadly defined as trace amounts of target DNA in sources such as water, soil, and scat. I am working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry to use DNA metabarcoding and high throughput sequencing to identify at risk and invasive fish species in Ontario's freshwater lakes. I have also developed species-specific quantitative PCR primers/probes to detect trace amounts of prey DNA in wolf and coyote scat.

epigenetics of speciation

Although reproductive incompatibility causing speciation has been linked to variable methylation in plants, little is known about the role of methylation in differentiation leading to speciation in wild animal populations. Does variable methylation influence reproductive compatibility and to what extent does it contribute to speciation? I am working on samples from a captive breeding experiment between western gray wolves and western coyotes to understand how epigenetic variation may contribute to reproductive incompatibility. Preliminary results are published here.

california loggerhead shrike

Utilizing mtDNA sequence data and microsatellite profiles, we investigated population genetics of loggerhead shrike populations in California, including mainland California, the Channel Islands (San Clemente, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, & Santa Rosa), and the captive breeding population at the San Diego Zoo. Check out the publication here.

american robin

American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are the largest among the North American thrushes. They are widespread across the continent with year-round, summer breeding, and winter non-breeding populations. Among the most widely recognized bird species, relatively little is known about their population genetic structure. I am working on a genomic analysis of samples collected from across the continent to provide a better understanding of this successful songbird. Find out more about the American Robin at All About Birds