I'm interested in the processes that shape the distribution of species and the relative diversity of groups. By studying the phylogenetics and biogeography of freshwater fishes, I hope to shed light on the historical processes that determine where they are now found and where they occurred in the past. By comparing diversity among groups with respect to geography, morphology, and ecology, I hope to shed light on traits that, when combined with historical contingencies, favored the expansion of some groups and the decline of others.