Lectureship at the University of Southampton

I moved to Drosophila to explore the extra-cellular SOD that I discovered in insects. Prof. Andrew Bourke and I won a NERC grant combining life history and molecular basis of ageing in bumble bees. I had a joint appointment in Neuroscience and Ecology and Evolution and most of my teaching at Southampton was in organismal classes (Intro to Biology, Animal Behaviour, and even Field Ecology in Spain!)

Prof. Laurent Keller gave me the opportunity to combine molecular cell biology and evolution to study the specific cellular mechanisms that allow social insects (ants) to live to extremely long ages (20 + years). This despite being small and reproductively very active contradicting the accepted fecundity/lifespan tradeoff.

Graduate School at Arizona State University

I studied the evolution and population genetics of social parasitism and mating structure in social insects. My adviser was Dr. Steve Rissing who inspired and encouraged my interest in teaching pedagogy.

Vollum Institute and CROET at Oregon Health Sciences University

My first job after graduation was as a research assistant for Dr. Eckard Weber at the Vollum instute working on psycho-active drug discovery and then for Rich Allen at CROET working on POMC gene regulation in tissue culture and developing a mouse POMC knockout model.

University of Oregon (Robert D. Clark Honors College)

My undergraduate thesis work was done with Prof. John Postlethwait where I discovered which drosophila sex determination genes are cell autonomous.