We are broadly interested in evolutionary genomics and epigenomics problems and have never been afraid to take up a new topic. Here are some of our current research interests.

• Epigenetic Evolution of human Brains: A major research thrust in the lab is to understand how epigenetic regulatory mechanisms evolve. One specific question is how DNA methylation patterns in human brains have evolved since humans and chimpanzees have diverged. Human brains are arguably one of the most exceptionally rapidly evolved organ in the human body. We have published a few articles on this, and hopefully many more to come.

• Neuroepigenomics: We are also interested in understanding how epigenetic marks regulate and/or propagate neuropsychiatric diseases of human brains. Our current research include epigenetic analysis of schizophrenia brains.

• Epigenetics and Genome Evolution: Epigenetic mechanisms are widespread throughout the tree of life, but its components and how each component interact with each other vary greatly across different taxa. For example, genomic patterns of DNA methylation in invertebrate animals differ greatly from those of vertebrates. We have been studying how DNA methylation in invertebrates vary across the genome and among species, and how epigenetic variation yields functional consequences.

Linking genomes and phenotypes in a vertebrate model system: In collaboration with Dr. Donna Maney at Emory University, we are investigating how a prevalent chromosomal polymorphism in the white-throated sparrow leads to two distinctive and complex phenotypes. We use genomic and epigenomic tools to complement the behavioral and physiological approaches of our collaborators.