To avoid predation and catch prey, many animals have evolved to be fast and agile. Many factors impact how animals accomplish this, including the scale at which the animals operate and the temperature range over which they must function. Animals have evolved physiological and biomechanical adaptations to overcome muscular constraints. These adaptations can be at the level of the sarcomere, muscle-tendon unit, skeletal system, or whole animal. I am interested in the mechanisms animals use to overcome potential physiological constraints on movement. I use techniques in muscle physiology and biomechanics to address these questions. 

In my Ph.D. research, I used western fence lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis, as a model ectotherm understand muscular adaptations to the constraints of low temperature on locomotion. During my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Leeds, I am investigating the energetics and biomechanics of the insect flight motor, which can generate high power output with great efficiency, while maintaining incredible levels of positional control. For more details, please see my research page.