Research Program

Our research program has diverse  project-based themes examining the natural model system Astyanax mexicanus, the blind Mexican cavefish. In 2018, we began a collaboration examining different Sinocyclocheilus species of Chinese cavefish. These remarkable fish systems have recurrently invaded subterranean caves in the El Abra region of northeastern Mexico, and the vast karsts of southwestern China. Using integrative research techniques, our lab seeks to identify and understand the morphological, physiological, and genetic changes that have accompanied evolution of cave-adapted specimens from their surface-dwelling ancestors. We utilize these systems to examine historical and contemporary problems of evolutionary and biomedical relevance.