Bert Foquet

Postdoctoral Research Associate
E-mail: bfoquet@ufl.edu

I’m an evolutionary biologist that uses molecular tools like RNA sequencing to answer fundamental biological questions about speciation and adaptation, generally working within a phylogenetic framework. I’m broadly interested in the evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in speciation. In the Kawahara lab, I’m studying the evolution of silk in Lepidoptera and Trichoptera. I hope to connect the genotype and the phenotype through using a variety of molecular techniques.

Paul Masonick

Postdoctoral Research Associate
E-mail: p.masonick@ufl.edu

Hello! I am a systematist and evolutionary biologist that leverages phylogenetic and molecular approaches to examine speciation, genetic introgression, phenotypic convergence, and aspects of natural history such as diet. I am interested in both population/species delimitation issues as well as addressing much deeper-level phylogenetic problems. I have conducted large collections-based revisionary taxonomy projects on Heteroptera (my taxonomic expertise is in assassin bugs, Reduviidae), but have also worked closely with parasitoid wasps and cichlid fishes and now am studying the phylogenomics and evolution of antipredatory defenses in moths.