Biography
As a first-generation college student, I have been profoundly changed by higher education and the many ways it has blessed my life. My academic history includes study at Snow College (AA), University of Utah (BA), BYU (MA), University of Vermont (PhD), University of Nebraska (postdoc) and University of Washington/NOAA Fisheries (postdoc). I am currently a Full Professor of Biology and Curator of Fishes at Brigham Young University. My wife and I and our now grown children have enjoyed the fruits of an academic life, including a sabbatical leave in Spain and Italy, and field work and research across the globe, most recently in Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Mexico, and England.
Research Interests
Research in my lab is currently focused in five main areas. We do much of this work using freshwater fishes as our models.(1) Understanding how ecological interactions drive evolutionary diversification. Much of our work examines the effects of predation on the evolution of prey traits, including life history, functional morphology, and behavior. This work includes studies of stress on reproductive strategies, tradeoffs between burst and endurance locomotion, and the evolution of body shape.
(2) Understanding the functional morphology and behavior of sperm transfer in livebearing fishes. How males generate sperm bundles that are transferred along the male gonopodium to inseminate females, and how females move that sperm to their oviduct remains a puzzle in poeciliid biology.
(3) Understanding how reproductive isolation evolves in the wild. Prior work suggests that differences in predator-mediated mortality among populations can lead to so-called 'magic traits' that directly affect reproductive isolation. We are currently studying differences among populations within a single species in Costa Rica. We are also studying how species boundaries break down due to hybridization between two species in Costa Rica and Panama.
(4) Understanding the evolution of cognition and behavior. Current projects focus on how fish count, how they problem solve, and if differences in mortality risk improves or diminishes (social brain hypothesis) cognitive ability. We are also exploring the evolution of social dominance hierarchies and mate choice copying.
(5) Conservation of freshwater fishes. We have partnered with the University of Costa Rica to focus on generating conservation and recovery plans for the most threatened livebearing fishes in Costa Rica. Closer to home, we are working to cause a fundamental shift to the protection of western North American fishes, arguing that the protection of evolutionary diverse populations within common widespread species is essential for the long-term conservation of this depauperate fauna.
Teaching Interests
I currently teach Introductory Biology for majors (Bio130), Honors: Unexpected Connections (HONRS 22X), Evolutionary Medicine (Bio250), Evolution (Bio420), Capstone in Conservation Biology (Bio450), Peer Reviewed Publishing (Bio517), Tropical Biology (Bio530), and Evolutionary Ecology (Bio652). I also oversee students in our department engaged in internships (Bio399R).Education
- PhD, Evolution & Ecology , University of Vermont (2000)
- BA, Biology (Minor: Chemistry) , University of Utah (1995)
- AA, Liberal Arts , Snow College (1993)
Honors and Awards
- Alcuin Fellowship, BYU Honors / BYU Undergraduate Studies (2024 - 2028)
- Thomas L. Martin Professorship, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University (2024 - 2027)
- Young Scholar Award, Brigham Young University (2014 - 2017)
- Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University (2016 - 2016)
- University Devotional Speaker, Brigham Young University (2014 - 2014)
- Outstanding Research Award, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University (2011 - 2011)
- Outstanding Contributor in Science Education, Utah Science Teachers Association (2009 - 2009)
- Karl and Mollie Butler Young Scholar Award, Brigham Young University (2007 - 2007)
- U.S. National Academies of Science and Engineering Postdoctoral Research Award, U. S. National Research Council (2001 - 2001)
- Raney Award, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (2000 - 2000)
- National Science Foundation Graduate Training Fellow, U.S. National Science Foundation (1995 - 1995)
- Stoye Award - Honorable Mention, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (1995 - 1995)
- Cottam Award, Brigham Young University (1994 - 1994)
Professional Citizenship
- Editor, Associate Editor, Zoological Society of London - Animal Conservation (2009 - 2014)