My research is on the systematics and evolution of unicellular eukaryotes, or protists. Currently, my work is focusing on the Phylum Ciliophora. Ciliates are especially important trophic links in microbial food webs because they are the major consumers of bacteria, pico- and nano-photosynthetic plankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and amoebae, and they are eaten in turn by animals such as crustacea in the zooplankton and larval fish. For example, they are important in cleaning water in sewage treatment plants where some species consume sewage and others consume the bacteria growing on the waste. Because of their keystone role in microbial food webs, they are important indicators of the conditions and health of the environment at the microbial level.
Studying the evolution of protists allows me to examine the evolution of the eukaryotic cell and the origin of multicellular groups (plants, animals, and fungi). In addition, I am interested in general systematic theory and am addressing questions such as how to code multistate characters, how to analyze large datasets, and how to code missing or inapplicable characters.