The systematics of hermit crabs is my primary research interest. As a full-time research zoologist at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., I am presently involved in a number of taxonomic and systematic investigations dealing with various hermit crab groups from the western Atlantic and deep waters of the Indo-Pacific. Hermit crabs are a fascinating and diverse group of crustaceans, and are excellent subjects for evolutionary and ecological studies. There are over 800 species worldwide, ranging from tropical to polar regions, and from shore to the deep sea.

From a biodiversity and zoogeographic point of view, I am highly interested in the decapod fauna associated with coral reefs and other coastal habitats of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and tropical eastern Pacific. Despite many years of collecting efforts by numerous investigators, large portions of this region still remain poorly sampled, such as the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of South America. During the past several years I have been conducting periodic sampling in coralline and estuarine coastal habitats of the colombian Caribbean, and expect to increase my research efforts there in the future. Because I maintain contacts with many colleagues throughout Latin America for this type of project, there are often opportunities for field work and collaborative research efforts.

As an Adjunct Faculty member of the Department of Biology, I welcome graduate students interested in pursuing systematic, zoogeographic, or ecological studies of any group of decapod crustaceans, in particular those from tropical and subtropical regions. Completion of a thesis or dissertation project can be accomplished with a combination of training received at the University Campus in Lafayette, and visits to study the immense archived collections housed at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.