My main research interests are animal phylogenetics, molecular evolution, and mitochondrial biology.  My favorite animals are marine non-bilaterian taxa, including Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (corals, jellyfishes), and Ctenophora (comb jellies). From a phylogenetic perspective each of these groups forms at least an equal-status taxon to all bilaterian animal (from flatworms to humans) and thus should harbor a large portion of animal genomic diversity that we are only now beginning to explore.