Biography
I am a Ph. D. candidate in the Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University. My research interests include nematode phylogenetic systematics, host/parasite cospeciation, evolution of insect parasitism in nematodes, nematode population genetics, entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), and the evolution of bioluminescence in bacteria. My dissertation research focuses on resolving the phylogenetic relationships within the nematode suborder Hexatylina utilizing molecular data, in an effort to address questions pertaining to the origin and maintenance of insect associations within the order Tylenchida and phylum Nematoda.