The Roach Brain Lab
for studying biodiversity through molecular systematics

About us

NOTICE: The Roach Brain lab is in the process of moving to the Entomology Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and we are recruiting lab members in multiple positions. Contact the PI <dominicev (at) gmail.com> for details.
The Roach Brain Lab investigates the origins of biodiversity. We do this through describing biodiversity, comparing biodiversity, inferring evolutionary histories, and optimizing experimental methods.
We study cockroaches and other insects. There are over 7000 species of cockroaches worldwide and only ~10 of them live in cities as pests. Roaches can help us better understand the evolution of parental care, niches, micro-biomes, flight, and other biological phenomena.
The Roach Brain Lab aims to train scientists in a diverse setting. We welcome students from all backgrounds and orientations, provide an academic community for students to be a part of, and quantify growth. We train students in molecular lab techniques, bioinformatics, morphological study, statistics, and science communication.