We are interested in studying how ecology affects the structure, function, and evolution of the genome and its role in the development and evolution of complex phenotypes. This helps us understand the evolution of biological diversity and how it responds to environmental change.

Dr. Nicole Valenzuela's Google Scholar profile

Evolution and Regulation of Developmental Networks

Why do organisms vary so remarkably in the ways they produce males and females? Our work focuses on comparative evolutionary and ecological genomics related to the evolution of developmental pathways, particularly those that underlie the development of the sexual phenotype.

Sex Chromosomes and Genome Organization

What are the causes and consequences of chromosome evolution? We are studying (a) the evolution of sex chromosomes and the genes they contain, plus (b) the genome rearrangements responsible for changes in diploid number across turtles and their association with transitions in sex determination.