Current Research
My current research interests stem from my desire to understand fundamental
aspects of biological diversity. These fundamental aspects include the relationships of
organisms and their morphological complexity. I study these aspects using
phylogenetic systematics, geometric morphometrics and other tools. These tools allow
us to understand broader themes such as historical biogeography, molecular evolution,
conservation and the evolution of morphological diversity. As an ichthyologist my
focus is on process oriented evolutionary biology in marine fishes and pattern oriented
evolutionary biology in freshwater fishes. As a systematist I use molecular and
morphological tools to help discover relationships among species and resolve
taxonomy in order to better understand the evolutionary history of fishes.
Awards
2013 Rainmaker, Emerging Scholar LSU
012 Young Alumni Award, McGill University
Grants
NSF
Reconstructing Heroini (Teleostei:Cichlidae) – Of Heroes, Convicts,
Angels and Red Devils.
Amount: $519,944
Student Assistants
Valerie Derouen,
Master's of Natural Science, 2012
Bill Ludt,
PhD, 2012
Caleb McMahan,
2011
Media
New to nature no 111: Typhleotris mararybe
The Guardian (2013-08-03)
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/...
Opportunity Knocks: But Which Door Should You Open?
Science (2013-03-08)
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/car...
Publications
McMahan, C., Chakrabarty, P., Smith, W.L.M., Sparks, J.S., Davis, M.P. (2013) Temporal
Patterns of Diversification across Global Cichlid Biodiversity (Acanthomorpha:
Cichlidae) In: PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Ado...