For my Ph.D. thesis, I studied the differences between fur and blubber as insulation in mammals, with a focus on the otariids (fur seals and sea lions). The otariids represent the only mammalian family to include both types of insulation: fur seals have dense, waterproof fur and a moderate blubber layer, while sea lions rely solely on their blubber for thermoregulation in water.


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Currently, I am performing detailed evolutionary analyses to understand the adaptive pathways required to allow fur to function as an insulator in water, and to explain the convergent evolution of blubber across mammalian lineages.

I am also involved in the examination of cetacean heart rates in association with behavior.

For my next project, I am interested in elucidating the physiological mechanisms by which nectar-feeding bats achieve high rates of glucose flux, to support some of the highest mass-specific metabolic rates measured in mammals (during hover-feeding).