Rachel Lockridge Mueller

Assistant Professor

Department of Biology

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO 80523

rlm@colostate.edu

(970) 491-6717

                 M u e l l e r   L a b   R e s e a r c h   I n t e r e s t s

My research is motivated by three main questions: (1) How do genes and genomes evolve? (2) How can genetic data be used to estimate phylogenetic trees? (3) How can the Tree of Life be used to study evolution and diversification of lineages? These questions are best addressed by integrating data and analytical techniques from multiple disciplines. Such integration creates new approaches to central issues in evolutionary biology. For example, genomic data can provide new genetic markers and genome-level characters for the resolution of difficult phylogenetic questions, and gene functional analyses can provide mechanistic data for studies of phenotypic and molecular evolution.

In my research, I combine comparative analyses of organismal biology with high-throughput DNA sequencing. I am interested in working with students and postdocs who share my general interests in molecular evolution and phylogenetic systematics.

The main components of my research program are: Phylogenetic Methodology, Plethodontid Salamander Systematics, and the Evolution of Genes and Genomes.