Research

What can we learn from early divergences on the eukaryotic tree of life using molecular phylogenetics and genomics?

My research focuses on some of the most ancient, distinctive, free-living eukaryotic protists, the Euglenophyta. Euglena was one of the first protists ever seen by Leeuwenhoek, but despite this early discovery, the vast majority of euglenoids are poorly known even among biologists who regularly encounter them in a multitude of environments.  Euglenoids are critically positioned near the base of the eukaryotic evolutionary tree and are among the first eukaryotes to possess a mitochondrion. Research in my lab focuses on several aspects of euglenoid biology.

• Assembling the Euglenoid Tree of Life

• Euglenoid Chloroplast Genomics

For additional information visit the Euglenoid Project Website at: http://euglena.msu.edu