Welcome to the Bell Lab!

We are part of the Institute for Biodiversity Science + Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences. Our research group studies the evolution, ecology, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. 

We are committed to addressing the deep legacies of implicit and explicit racism in science, including the exploitation of indigenous and foreign peoples during exploration and the making of biological collections, the forced participation of enslaved people in scientific research, the distortion of scientific discoveries and theories in the formulation and justification of racist theories of humanity, and the ongoing denial of a professional environment that is equitable and supportive to non-white scientists in the United States. To begin to address these issues we have committed to specific actions and policies (as individual scientists and within the institutions and organizations we are part of) to create a more diverse and equitable future for science. Learn more here.

Banner Photo: Hyperolius drewesi. These cuties are endemic to Príncipe Island and are named in honor of my friend and colleague Dr. Robert Drewes, Curator Emeritus at the California Academy of Sciences (photo by Andrew Stanbridge).