I have a longstanding interest in sexual selection, sexual conflict, and reproductive biology. Over the past few years, my research has expanded taking a more comprehensive and integrated approach to understand my study systems' "unabridged" evolutionary ecology--to do this one needs to know their study organisms well. Of course, this task cannot be done alone, so students and collaborators are the key to success. 

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Currently, we are working to understand the eco-evolutionary processes responsible for the geographic variation in sexually selected colouration, body size, and sexual size dimorphism (and possible differences in age and ageing rates) of the wide-ranging Australian painted dragon lizards (Ctenophorus pictus). We are leveraging geographic variation in life history and sexually selected traits along substantial temperature/aridity clines to determine how thermal adaptation might influence selection and mediate physiological tradeoffs between characters and between character states.

We also maintain ongoing collaborations working on red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), which also bridges between environmental effects and sexual selection and the costs of reproduction.

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Our research uses an integrative approach focusing on behaviour, physiology, genetics and reproductive ecology to address fundamental ecological and evolutionary topics, such as:

• Sexual selection (from intrasexual competition and mate choice to sperm competition and cryptic female choice)

• Tradeoffs between pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection

• Oxidative stress and telomere dynamics 

• Energetic costs of behaviour and reproduction

• The evolution of sexually-dimorphic behavior and morphology

• The evolution of life history traits- especially physiological underpinnings of sex-specific and alternative reproductive tactics effects on ageing

• Thermal effects on the expression and the evolution of sexually selected and life history traits

• Intersexual co-evolutionary processes generated by postcopulatory sexual selection/conflict on genital interactions/function (and behaviors).

• I am also interested in "classic" ecology, e.g., the influences of predation, parasitism, inter- and intraspecific competition and niche partitioning on the evolution of my focal species across their range 

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