At the lab, we will work at the intersection of biochemistry, biology, optics and evolution. We investigate non-model amphibians that possess interesting optical traits such as tissue transparency, high infrared reflectance and strong fluorescence emission. To do so, we integrate theoretical and experimental approaches at the interface between organismal biology, protein science, chemical biology and physiology.

 The core components of our research program answer questions such as:

How the biochemistry, physics and evolution of novel colored proteins can explain camouflage in frogs?

What are the biochemical bases of animal fluorescence and the development of photonic structures?

How can glassfrogs achieve transparency as an extreme way of camouflage by altering the biochemistry of their coagulation factors, blood physiology and metabolism?

How can we use novel amphibian proteins, with desirable optical traits, high stability, and unknown binding domains, to implement them as bioinspiration for multiple imaging modalities?