We study the ecology and evolution of species interactions, and how parasitic and mutualistic life histories can influence the evolutionary trajectories of each partner. Our research has ranged from field studies measuring the costs and benefits of symbioses between ants and other organisms, to genetic analyses of biochemical signaling pathways underlying interactions between plants, pathogens and insects. We’ve used molecular phylogenies and genomic techniques to analyze the evolution of social behavior in bees and ants, and are currently using a combination of comparative methods and physiological and behavioral assays to study the regulation of wing temperatures of butterflies and moths, as well as their ability to perceive and use signals in the near infrared. We are also conservation biologists, and as part of our work in the museum, we are surveying insect biodiversity and natural history on the savannahs of East Africa and the forests of Southeast Asia.