I was born in north-western Pennsylvania in 1971.

 

In the autumn of 1990, after free-lancing as a photographer, I enrolled in the B.Sc Environmental Sciences program at the State University of New York (College at Purchase) with a focus in Environmental Organic Chemistry. At the start of my third year I took a course in vertebrate evolution. During the course I realized that I wanted to study evolutionary biology. In the autumn of 1993 I transferred to the University of Maryland to pursue my studies in evolutionary biology. I earned my B.Sc degree in 1995.

 

After completing my undergraduate studies I continued with graduate studies at Maryland in the Department of Zoology and at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Laboratory of Molecular Systematics. Between 1995-1998 I was a Pre-doctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian.

 

In the fall of 1998, I began my Ph.D. work on experimental evolution and statistical phylogenetics with John Huelsenbeck at the University of Rochester, New York. I earned my Master of Science degree in 2000 in Evolutionary Genetics and then my Ph.D. in October of 2004.

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I then continued my academic career for the next 20 years as a postdoctoral research associate, and assistant professor, and then an associate professor.

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I am now focusing more on my photography and more will be coming. Enjoy the photos on the home page.