My research focuses on understanding the systematic biology of flowering plants. This field of inquiry includes the study of taxonomy (i.e., species discovery and description), the study of phylogeny (i.e., evolutionary relationships among species), and the study of evolutionary processes (e.g., speciation, historical biogeography). Much of my research centers on the systematics of Burseraceae, which is a pantropically distributed group of trees best known for producing frankincense and myrrh. However, student members of my lab have pursued systematics projects involving a range of plant taxa across the globe, from Himalayan sunflowers to the Virginian saltmarsh mallow.

In addition to my research and teaching responsibiIities, I am director of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium at GMU and am engaged in making this valuable resource of information about the Virginia flora more accessible via the internet. The annual reports for the herbarium are available for download in pdf form (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).

Some recent Mason articles about my research:

Seeing Both the Forest and the Trees: 10/18/2010

Mason Faculty Members Explore the World in Efforts to Study Environmental Issues: 08/04/2008

Natural Walk Introduces Community to Another Side of Campus:
05/06/2008

Mason's Herbarium Is a Treasure Trove for Scholars: 02/21/2007

Research Experience Shortens Learning Curve for Grad Student: 10/26/2006