Lab P.I.

Tiago R. Simões, PhD
I am an Assistant Professor in the Dpt. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, where I develop and apply new methods in phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inference to understand the drivers of phenotypic and genomic diversity in reptiles, as well as the major drivers of phenotypic radiation and diversification across vertebrates.
Historical background
I started my career in my home city (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), where I obtained my BSc and MSc in Biological Sciences-Zoology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro supervised by Dr. Alexander Kellner at the National Museum of Brazil. I subsequently moved to Canada to pursue my PhD with Dr. Michael Caldwell at the University of Alberta to shed light on the century-old problem of the origin of squamates (lizards and snakes) using new phylogenetic tools and combining morphological and molecular data. In 2018, the key paper stemming from my PhD thesis, where we bridged the gap between molecular and morphological hypotheses of early squamate evolution, was featured on the cover of the journal Nature. In 2018, I was awarded the first Alexander Agassiz Fellowship from the OEB/MCZ at Harvard University, followed by an NSERC Fellowship, to expand my research to a broader set of questions in vertebrate evolution. In 2024, I became an Assistant Professor in the Dpt. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University,. I am also a Research Associate in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.
Current lab members:
Postdocs:
Nicolás Mongiardino Koch
I study deep-time evolutionary biology, exploring the diversification of life on Earth by combining research on genomes and fossils.
My research encompasses phylogenomics, macroevolution, and comparative morphology using cutting-edge computational, sequencing and imaging techniques. Although much of my focus is on sea urchins and other echinoderms, I enjoy working across the invertebrate tree of life.

Heather Skeen (EEB Fellow)
I am a postdoctoral researcher testing the migratory escape hypothesis in birds. I received my PhD at the University of Chicago, after which I spent two years at University of Connecticut as a Research and Teaching Scholar. My research explores the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping host-microbiota interactions in birds, with a particular emphasis on utilizing museum specimens as a key resource.
Luisa Pusch
I started my career in my home country (Germany), were I obtained my BSc in Biology at the University of Greifwald and my MSc in Organismic Biology and Evolution at the Humboldt-University of Berlin. My doctoral degree I also obtained at the Humboldt University of Berlin were I worked on the origin of Cynodontia, the synapsid group ancestral to and including mammals, in the Jörg Fröbisch lab at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin under the supervision of Prof. Jörg Fröbisch and Dr. Christian Kammerer. My research interests centre particularly on the systematics and evolutionary history of non-mammalian synapsids, the dominant group of land vertebrates at the end of the Paleozoic, and mammals. I am also working on the evolution of the nervous and sensory system in these lineages using modern computed tomography.

PhD students:
Juan Daniel Vásquez-Restrepo
I am a Colombian biologist interested in studying macroecological and macroevolutionary patterns of species diversity across broad spatial, temporal, and phylogenetic scales. I am also actively working on the taxonomy and systematics of Neotropical reptiles, with a particular emphasis on snakes and gymnophthalmid lizards. Additionally, I am a self-taught nature photographer and programmer.

Izabel Salvi
I am a PhD candidate at EEB – Princeton with a background in biology. My main scientific interests can be reduced to the simple question of what drives diversification and morphological disparity. For my doctoral research, I will be integrating genetic and morphological data, employing both empirical and theoretical approaches, to deepen our understanding of macroevolutionary patterns in Squamata.

Lab technicians/Research specialists:
Shelley Wang
I am a researcher focused on applying machine learning to predict evolutionary trajectories, specifically utilizing Bayesian inference and neural networks. I studied Economics and Anthropology at Dartmouth, with a focus on financial policy. I then moved onto Bloomberg Global Data, where I sharpened by data analysis skills by developing investor models for the Bloomberg Terminal. My work bridges big data and evolutionary science, advancing our understanding of life’s complexities through computational power.

Abhi Salunia
I am a research specialist in the Simões Lab studying the morphology of squamates. My background is in mammalian biology and environmental health, but I am currently interested in exploring morphometrics and comparative anatomy in reptiles. I grew up in New Jersey and completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Rutgers University. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, woodworking, and playing games with friends.

Visiting students:
João Lucas da Silva
I began my academic career at the Federal University of ABC, São Paulo, Brazil, where I earned a BSc in Science and Technology (2019) and a BSc in Biological Sciences (2020). I obtained my MSc in Biological Sciences/Paleontology (2023) from the Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA), São Gabriel Campus, Rio Grande do Sul, in the Paleobiology Laboratory, under the advisory of Prof. Felipe L. Pinheiro and co-advised by Prof. Tiago Simões. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Biological Sciences at UNIPAMPA, São Gabriel Campus. Although I initially worked on anhanguerid pterosaurs from Brazil, since my master’s degree, I have shifted my focus to studying dicynodonts, exploring both their morphological aspects and macroevolutionary patterns, which is the focus of my doctoral research.

Past students and lab members
PhD students:
Arthur Brum (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro/National Museum of Brazil). 2019-2023 Advisor: Alexander A. W. Kellner
Co-advisor: Tiago R. Simões
MSc students:
Robert Noble (Harvard Extension School, Cambridge, USA). 2021-2022.
Thesis topic: Evolutionary biomechanics of the lepidosaur lower jaw. Currently in progress.
Advisor: Stephanie Pierce
Co-advisor: Tiago R. Simões
Maria-Luisa Chavarría (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). 2015-2017:
Thesis: “New data on the Late Cretaceous lizard Dicothodon bajaensis (Squamata, Borioteiioidea) from Baja California, Mexico reveals an unusual tooth replacement pattern in squamates”.
Supervisor: Marisol Montellano-Ballesteros
Unofficial supervisory: Tiago R. Simões
Undergraduate students:
Grace Broderick (Boston College, Boston-MA, USA). 2019-2020.
Thesis topic: High resolution micro-CT scanning and description of the oldest known sphenodontian reptiles of North America. Advisor: Stephanie Pierce
Co-advisor: Tiago R. Simões
Luiza Salazar de Almeida Rabbi (Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil). 2017-2018.:
Thesis: “Análise da morfologia funcional de lagartos (Squamata) do Mesozoico [Functional Morphological Analysis of Mesozoic lizards (Squamata)]” defended on July 18th, 2018.
Supervisor: Taissa Rodrigues
Co-supervisor: Tiago R. Simões
Catie Strong (University of Alberta). 2017-2018:
Thesis: “Assessing skull development in the extant colubroid snake Thamnophis”. (BIOL 399).
Supervisor: Michael W. Caldwell
Co-supervisor: Tiago R. Simões