My dissertation work in the Berenbaum lab focuses on the moth genus Depressaria, as well as their plant hosts in the family Apiaceae (carrot family). Many of these moths (~24 species) occur in Western North America, as well as their plant hosts, many of which belong to the perennial endemic North American clade (PENA, ~200 species). I am studying the systematics of these moths, including building the first molecular-based phylogeny of the North American species. Along with a consortium of botanists working on the phylogenomics of the PENA clade, led by Jim Smith at Boise State University, I am using these phylogenetic hypotheses to understand the coevolution of both of these groups. Other work will focus on characterizing the chemistry of these plants which has been understudied, as well as the evolution of chemistry within the PENA clade. 

Other lines of research focus on the taxonomy and distributions of fruit flies (Drosophilidae). I am currently working on a checklist of the family for the state of Illinois, which has uncovered new species in three genera. Work has also begun on revising the Neotropical species of Amiota, a strange drosophilid group with interesting life histories and bizarre behaviors. This is an extension of recently published work on the genus (Jones and Grimaldi, 2022). 

I also volunteer time curating the Diptera (true flies) of the collections at the Illinois Natural History Survey.