NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2018

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This award supports an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2018, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will utilize biological collections in innovative ways. Explanations for the spectacular success of fish are complex and must account for many factors. To advance this field, this project investigates extinct and living species of pufferfishes, boxfishes, triggerfishes, ocean sunfishes, and allies called tetraodontiforms that include some of the most extreme body shapes in the Fish Tree of Life. These body types range from nearly square to globose, and spheroid to laterally compressed. Tetraodontiforms harbor the smallest vertebrate genomes known to date and one the best-known and well-studied fossil records among fishes. Recent evidence suggests that diversification dynamics (speciation and extinction) in this group are linked to a period known as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (ca. 50 Ma). It is still unknown, however, how this event or other paleoclimate changes affected their body shape evolution over time.This project will synthesize a comprehensive, all species, tetraodontiforms phylogeny, by quantifying morphological evolution using 3D morphometrics and body size diversity by leveraging biological collections. It will characterize the evolution of candidate genes associated with body size change in tetraodontiforms, and use comparative methods to test how morphological evolution contributes to tetraodontiform fish diversification. Aside from scientific endeavors, these funds are also being used to contribute to community-driven scientific efforts, student training, and public outreach. Training and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate student from underrepresented minorities constitute a core goal of the activities of the project. Outreach activities include the participation in a long-term program for Chicago disadvantaged youths through the Project Exploration Sisters4Science Program, and lectures at existing programs at the University of Chicago, such as Saturday Scientist and their active Women In Science programs. This project will also broadcast knowledge on fish diversity through a variety of social platforms and at scientific meetings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.