Please note: Morrison Planetarium will be closed for maintenance Sept. 16–18.
Search for Academy curators, collections managers, and research staff working to answer some of the world's most pressing scientific questions.
Curator, Invertebrate Zoology & Geology
Mass Extinctions, Paleocommunity Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology
I am the Curator of Geology, and I've been at the Academy since 1999. I hold degrees in Biology (B.Sc.), Oceanography (M.S.) and Geology (Ph.D.). My research is transdisciplinary, with a focus on understanding the evolution of ecological systems, emphasizing paleontology, deep time, and perspectives on complexity dynamics. Most of my research these days centers around global change biology, and how we can further develop our understanding of Earth's past ecosystems to better forecast our future.
Director of Scientific Computing
At the Academy, I oversee all computing activities within the research group. While this role primarily supports collections data and genomics research, it also encompasses many other aspects of the scientific work we do.
Research Associate, Fellow, Botany
Bryophytes
My ongoing research interests are on moss floristics and basic bryophyte inventory activities. My field work shifted around 1997 from flowering plants to bryophytes with an emphasis in bryogeography through specimen acquisition to expand the diversity of the collections within the CAS herbarium. Thirteen plant species have been named in my honor including seven flowering plants and six mosses including the moss genus Shevockia endemic to Asia.
Associate Curator and Director of the Center for Comparative Genomics
Evolutionary processes, Genomics, Phylogenetics, Hybridization
The Simison lab investigates the processes that generate, maintain, and reduce biodiversity. In particular, we are interested in the process of speciation. We use comparative genomics techniques such as RADseq, Ultra Conserved Elements, transcriptomics, and whole genomes to study the role of admixture and introgression in speciation. We are currently focusing on the globally invasive red eared slider turtle system (Trachemys scripta elegans) native to North America.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Microbiology
My research interest lies in the ecology and evolution of mosquito-borne viruses and spans across scales of the disease transmission. At the community level, I explore how changes in mosquito community diversity, human behaviors, and vector density play a role in driving disease emergence and determining endemicity. At the microbial community level, I characterize the mosquito microbiomes and viromes in relation to the environmental changes to understand how humans may influence virus transmission by changing the natural microbial diversity.
Assistant Curator of Entomology and Schlinger Chair of Diptera
Evolution and Diversification of Flies
