DEPARTMENT OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY
SHARMA LAB
SHARMA LAB
Welcome to the Sharma Lab! Our research broadly addresses macroevolution of invertebrates through the lenses of phylogenetics, genomics, and comparative development, with emphasis on chelicerate arthropods.
This body of work integrates three avenues of inquiry:
(1) How is biodiversity distributed through time and space?
(2) What are the genetic mechanisms that underlie body plan evolution?
(3) How does the integration of phylogenetic data classes resolve challenging parts of the tree of life?
This body of work integrates three avenues of inquiry:
(1) How is biodiversity distributed through time and space?
(2) What are the genetic mechanisms that underlie body plan evolution?
(3) How does the integration of phylogenetic data classes resolve challenging parts of the tree of life?
Lab News & Events 2022 (updated 27 June):
27 June: Welcome to Kaitlyn Abshire, who joins the lab as a graduate student this fall! Both Kaitlyn and Ben Klementz will start their Ph.D. studies in the lab this September.
10 June: Prashant Sharma presents a departmental seminar at the University of Bristol's Evolutionary Biology seminar series.
10 June: Emily Setton presents her thesis research as an invited symposium speaker at the 2022 Arthropod Genomics Symposium. Congratulations on a great talk, Emily!
April 27: The Sharma Lab is delighted to participate in the first higher-level molecular phylogeny of Amblypygi! This phylogenomic tree of whip spiders was made possible through the highly fortuitous discovery of the relict Paracharon 123 years after it was last seen by scientists. Many congratulations to Gustavo Silva de Miranda and the lab's Siddharth Kulkarni, who co-led the work. Check out the preprint here!
April 21: Many congratulations to Hugh Steiner on receiving the prestigious Hilldale Undergraduate Fellowship! This competitive award supports Hugh's participation in our fieldwork campaigns in Israel this upcoming summer.
April 8: Prashant Sharma is honored to receive tenure and promotion to Associate Professor.
March 28: The Sharma lab is delighted to publish a comprehensive analysis of scorpion relationships and venom evolutionary dynamics today in Systematic Biology. Congratulations to former postdoc Carlos Santibáñez López, who led this multinational effort! Check it out here!
March 4: The lab's Phalangium crew is delighted to publish a modern staging system for the first harvestman model system! Congratulations to Guilherme Gainett, Ben Klementz, Caitlin Baker, Emily Setton, and lab alums Audrey Crawford and Calvin So!
February 8: The Sharma Lab is overjoyed to publish a >500-species phylogeny of Chelicerata, in conjunction with the Gavish-Regev, Giribet, Harvey, Hormiga, and Wheeler labs! This investigation draws upon morphology and genomic data, and overturns the century-old scenario of a monophyletic Arachnida and a single colonization of land in chelicerates. Check it out here!
February 1: The Sharma Lab is delighted to welcome Dr. Siddharth Kulkarni, a postdoctoral fellow and spider genomics expert! Dr. Kulkarni joins us just after completing his Ph.D. at the George Washington University in DC.
January 11: Congratulations to Emily Setton on her feature in the campus newsletter! The article covers Emily's research on the origin of spider spinnerets. Check it out here!
January 4: Congratulations to lab alumnus Dr. Andrew Ontano and undergrad Hugh Steiner on the publication of their work on chelicerate phylogeny! Their paper explores whether Palpigradi constitute a long-branch arachnid order. Check it out here!
January 3: The lab is delighted to attend SICB 2022 in Phoenix! This year it's a full house... undergraduates Hugh and Ben are presenting posters at their first scientific congress, and Emily and Prashant are giving talks. Back in Madison, Guilherme, Pola, and Caitlin are all presenting virtually on SICB+. Hope to see you there!
27 June: Welcome to Kaitlyn Abshire, who joins the lab as a graduate student this fall! Both Kaitlyn and Ben Klementz will start their Ph.D. studies in the lab this September.
10 June: Prashant Sharma presents a departmental seminar at the University of Bristol's Evolutionary Biology seminar series.
10 June: Emily Setton presents her thesis research as an invited symposium speaker at the 2022 Arthropod Genomics Symposium. Congratulations on a great talk, Emily!
April 27: The Sharma Lab is delighted to participate in the first higher-level molecular phylogeny of Amblypygi! This phylogenomic tree of whip spiders was made possible through the highly fortuitous discovery of the relict Paracharon 123 years after it was last seen by scientists. Many congratulations to Gustavo Silva de Miranda and the lab's Siddharth Kulkarni, who co-led the work. Check out the preprint here!
April 21: Many congratulations to Hugh Steiner on receiving the prestigious Hilldale Undergraduate Fellowship! This competitive award supports Hugh's participation in our fieldwork campaigns in Israel this upcoming summer.
April 8: Prashant Sharma is honored to receive tenure and promotion to Associate Professor.
March 28: The Sharma lab is delighted to publish a comprehensive analysis of scorpion relationships and venom evolutionary dynamics today in Systematic Biology. Congratulations to former postdoc Carlos Santibáñez López, who led this multinational effort! Check it out here!
March 4: The lab's Phalangium crew is delighted to publish a modern staging system for the first harvestman model system! Congratulations to Guilherme Gainett, Ben Klementz, Caitlin Baker, Emily Setton, and lab alums Audrey Crawford and Calvin So!
February 8: The Sharma Lab is overjoyed to publish a >500-species phylogeny of Chelicerata, in conjunction with the Gavish-Regev, Giribet, Harvey, Hormiga, and Wheeler labs! This investigation draws upon morphology and genomic data, and overturns the century-old scenario of a monophyletic Arachnida and a single colonization of land in chelicerates. Check it out here!
February 1: The Sharma Lab is delighted to welcome Dr. Siddharth Kulkarni, a postdoctoral fellow and spider genomics expert! Dr. Kulkarni joins us just after completing his Ph.D. at the George Washington University in DC.
January 11: Congratulations to Emily Setton on her feature in the campus newsletter! The article covers Emily's research on the origin of spider spinnerets. Check it out here!
January 4: Congratulations to lab alumnus Dr. Andrew Ontano and undergrad Hugh Steiner on the publication of their work on chelicerate phylogeny! Their paper explores whether Palpigradi constitute a long-branch arachnid order. Check it out here!
January 3: The lab is delighted to attend SICB 2022 in Phoenix! This year it's a full house... undergraduates Hugh and Ben are presenting posters at their first scientific congress, and Emily and Prashant are giving talks. Back in Madison, Guilherme, Pola, and Caitlin are all presenting virtually on SICB+. Hope to see you there!