There are three, broad areas of research interest in the lab. 1) To understand the genetic basis for differences in morphology between the model developmental species snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) and its close relatives. We are currently using a candidate gene approach to address these questions, but expression profiling (e.g. differential display, microarray analyses) promises to be a useful tool in uncovering genes responsible for species level differences in plant form.

2) Using molecular evolutionary approaches, as well as reverse-genetic tests of protein function, we aim to understand how the expansion of developmentally important gene families (through gene and/or genome duplication) contributes to the diversification of developmental pathways.

3) In angiosperms, the MADS-box transcription factor genes act as critical regulators of a wide variety of developmental processes, including flowering time, floral development, and reproductive differentiation. Since alteration in such transcription factors appears to be one of the primary forces driving the evolution of morphological novelties, we plan, in collaboration with Vivian Irish, Michael Donoghue, Hongyu Zhao (Yale University) and Amy Litt (New York Botanical Garden), to characterizing the diversification of the MADS-box gene family across angiosperms. This will be key in understanding how new plant regulatory pathways have emerged.