Julia’s research focuses on using phylogenetic methods and diverse data types to gain insight into the evolution of birds and avian flight and other transitions such as the co-option of the flight stroke for underwater diving. She is particularly interested in understanding shared patterns and potential causal factors in the evolution of living bird lineages. Her lab seeks new data to inform how avian diversity and distributions have changed across their deep histories. International collaborations and fieldwork (e.g., in Peru, New Zealand, Antarctica, Mongolia and China) provide new fossil data to approach these questions. She received her BA from Brown University and PhD from Yale University.