My research focuses on broad-scale patterns in the origin, evolution, and survival of amphibians. Much of this is led by my grad students, who design their own research, integrating across several levels of function and structure, from cellular to macroevolutionary levels. Poison frogs are the focal group for most of my students. Many species are brightly colored and have skin toxins that protect them from predators. There is an underlying mystery: Why don't poison frogs poison themselves with their own chemical defenses? Answering this question integrates studies of cell physiology, molecular evolution, whole-organism physiology, predator-prey interactions, acoustic communication, and chemical ecology. These approaches are framed by deep-time evolutionary relationships revealed by genomic data.

This work is relevant to human health because the molecular mechanisms by which many environmental and natural toxins affect us are similar to those of the frogs. Overall, our work embodies a holistic approach to biodiversity. How did the uncountable array of life-forms, species, communities, and ecosystems evolve, how are they maintained, and how will they survive?