About My research interests are focused on plant systematics and evolution as well as international botanical outreach efforts as Director of the Global Genome Initiative for Gardens (GGI-Gardens). My research combines traditional taxonomy with phylogenomic tools to document and describe plant diversity and to pursue questions of broad significance regarding biogeography and plant evolution. I focus mostly on plants in the angiosperm families Asteraceae (i.e., daisies and sunflowers) and Burseraceae (i.e., the myrrh genus, Commiphora). Toward these interests, I am involved in the development of new approaches for common techniques using technology that makes phylogenomic research more cost-efficient and accessible to a broader community of researchers. I am especially interested in the evolution of species diversity in dry tropical forests and the plants that inhabit them. As Director of GGI-Gardens, I have worked to develop an international network of botanical gardens in an effort to preserve plant genomic diversity in biorepositories (facilities that store organismal tissues specifically for genetic research). Working with teams of interns and with garden partners, I organize collecting efforts aimed at preserving plant diversity that is currently not represented in biorepositories, to safeguard genetic resources of plant species on Earth.