I am an insect phylogeneticist, focusing on molecular phylogenetics of Auchenorrhyncha, a group of phytophagous Hemiptera including Fulgoroidea (planthoppers), Membracoidea (treehoppers and leafhoppers), Cercopoidea (spittlebugs), and Cicadoidea (cicadas).  Funded largely by the US National Science Foundation, I travel all over the world studying tropical biodiversity in these fascinating insect groups, and collecting specimens for my systematic research.  Using my phylogenetic results, I am interested in interpreting the origins and geographical distributions of groups within Auchenorrhyncha, as well as patterns of their often bizarre morphological evolution, their host plant usage, and their associations with obligate bacterial endosymbionts.
Address: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones St.
Raleigh, NC  27601-1029