My research interests are focused on how gene regulatory traits are encoded in DNA sequence. Most of my work has been done in the context of animal embryos. Using whole-genome sequences from related organisms, I am interested in identifying and parsing this regulatory logic for entire genomic sets of regulatory modules underlying either key phylogenetic transitions or important developmental mechanisms, such as morphogen gradient systems. My interests span the gamut of eukaryotic gene regulation (evolution, biochemistry, molecular genetics, genomics). My motivation is both in learning about these systems and in extracting principles on the nature of organismal evolution. My work is currently funded by the National Science Foundation. I am currently seeking graduate students and post-docs with similar interests.