He is a member of the Department of Poultry Science, and the Faculty of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His broad interests are in avian health, evolution and conservation. His past (and in a limited way, present) work focused on songbird population ecology and genetics—working on the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. His research program focuses on the genetics of avian diseases, avian immune system interactions and comparative genomics, using the chicken as a model. He is part of the Heath Hen Advisory Group, where he is working on the genetics of North American grouse species, and is also leading the assembly of the Whooping Crane genome. Away from work he enjoys watching birds, spending time with his family and digging for fossils with his six year old son.