Current Position

Associate Curator, Zoology/Insects (2005-present)

Main Research Interest

Evolutionary Biology of Arthropoda, especially Araneae (spiders) and Diplopoda (millipedes). My research focus ranges from alpha-taxonomic, faunistic and biogeographic studies to higher classification, phylogenetic analyses and morphological character evolution.

Current Academic Affiliations

• Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences,
  2006-present.


• Member, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 2007 - present.


• Adjunct Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago,
  1999 – present.


• Lecturer, Biological Sciences, Collegiate Division,
  University of Chicago, 1991- present.


• Adjunct Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago,
  1999 – present.


• Adjunct Professor, East Carolina University,
  Greenville, N.C., 2002 – present.

Photo by J. Weinstein

Current Research

The evolution of complex male and female genitalia, and the evolution of sexual size dimorphism in both spiders (wolf spiders and relatives) and millipedes (Rhinocricidae, Paradoxosomatidae) are ongoing research activities. Systematic and biogeographic research focuses on the spider family Pisauridae (nursery web spiders) and includes alpha-taxonomic work. As Co-PI of the current AToL Spider Phylogeny grant, morphological work covers several spider families related to Pisauridae, such as the wolf and lynx spiders, the Trechaleidae and Senoculidae.

Recent alpha-taxonomic work as part of my past and current PEET grants centers on the millipede families Pyrgodesmidae, Paradoxosomatidae, Sphaeriodesmidae, Sphaerotheriidae and Rhinocricidae. Ongoing research also focuses on higher classification of millipedes, with recently published and forthcoming new phylogenetic analyses at the order and suborder level (orders Siphoniulida, Spirobolida and the Pentazonia). Most of the current work is conducted in collaboration with grant Co-PIs, grant-funded students and post-doctoral fellows.

Recent contributions to faunistic research include development of a database and analysis of the spider fauna of 5 Great Lake States (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio). This activity is ongoing; to date species-lists for 10 US states have been databased, with more forthcoming.

A significant amount of effort is currently expended on the development of scientific infrastructure: a global millipede species catalog (in a relational database) will be completed by 2010 and served on-line; type catalogs of Field Museum’s arachnid and myriapod collections are either published or forthcoming; and the PEET grant supported the work on the first global millipede collection catalog (published and available on-line in December 2006).