Department of Biology
Duke University
Box 90338
Durham, NC 27708-0338 USA
tel: 919-668-6249
fax: 919-660-7293
Research Interests:
I am interested at looking at developmental characters in a systematic context to see what structure developmental characters can provide for the phylogeny, and what this tells us about what taxonomic level developmental characters are informative. To look at ways to do this, I want to look at segmental gene expression in a variety of species within the Amphipoda (Eumalacostraca: Crustacea), as well as in other Eumalocostrican groups, to see if and at what taxonomic levels early developmental gene expression data are phylogenetically informative. This approach will not only provide information on the relationships between these crustacean taxa, but will also give parameters to the types of transformational hypotheses we can make about the role of these genes in evolution.
Publications:
Babbitt, C. (1999) Pyctis inamatus, gen. et sp. nov., a new mustelid from the Hsanda Gol formation, Oligocene, Mongolia. J. Vert. Paleontology 19(4): 791-792.
Giribet, G., Edgecombe, G.D., Babbitt, C., and W.C. Wheeler (2001) Phylogeny and systematic position of Opiliones: a combined analysis of chelicerate relationships using morphological and molecular data. Cladistics.
Research Experience and Training:
1997-1998
Description of fauna from the Oligocene of Mongolia, with M. McKenna at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
1997-1999
Molecular and morphological systematics of Opiliones, with W. Wheeler and G. Giribet at the AMNH.
1999
Early developmental gene networks in multiple Drosophilid species, with R. Desalle (AMNH) and J. Reintitz (Mount Sinai, NY).
Education:
1999 - 2005
University of Chicago Committee on Evolutionary Biology Advisor: Dr. Nipam H. Patel
1995 - 1999
Columbia University, B.A.
Awards and Fellowships:
NSF Predoctoral Fellowhip, 2000 I. I. Rabii Scholar (4 year Science Scholarship)
