My research interests have focused primarily on gerontology (the biology of aging). I have investigated the effects of several antioxidant molecules (including vitamin E, vitamin K, and melatonin) on lengthening clonal lifespan in Paramecium tetraurelia. While increased longevity due to antioxidant supplementation in Paramecium tetraurelia can be significant, it does not appear to change the trajectory of mortality rate increase (Type I aging) in this species, which is consistent with reports of the limited efficacy of antioxidant supplementation in other senescent species (including humans).

My scholarly interests are becoming more theoretical as I continue to learn about the complex interplay of various life-history strategies (Type I, Type II, and Type III aging patterns) with sexual or asexual reproduction, and with speciation processes by either Darwinian or non-Darwinian mechanisms. The great controversy between Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace over the possible role of natural selection in speciation events (Darwin arguing against post-zygotic barriers arising from selective processes, and Wallace arguing in favor of these same barriers arising due to natural selection) is still unresolved today, and seems to me to have some bearing on the question of life-history and reproductive strategies in various species.