My research interests intersect between molecular genetics and evolutionary biology. My lab’s research is in the areas of molecular evolution, genome evolution, and gene expression. We study how gene structures, expression patterns, alternative splicing, regulation, and function evolve. We use molecular techniques and bioinformatics analyses of large data sets to test hypotheses and answer questions. Some of the major questions that we study include: How do duplicated genes change in expression patterns, alternative splicing patterns, and functions at different evolutionary time scales? How does gene expression and alternative splicing change upon polyploidy and interspecific hybridization, as well as over evolutionary time in a polyploid plant? How does duplicate gene expression vary by organ type and developmental stage and what impacts does that have on gene retention and function? How is duplicate gene expression affected by environmental stress conditions? How do duplicate gene sequences and structures evolve?