The Fish Department - Visitors
Jim Cooper
Jim Cooper is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago, though he does most of his work at the Field Museum.
His project focuses on the evolution and development of damselfish jaws. He is combining morphometric and biomechanical analyses of a wide taxonomic sample of pomacentrids with phylogenetic analyses of regulatory genes that are thought to influence the development of skull shape.
He is also interested in changes in damselfish jaws during development, particularly determining trajectories of shape change as planktonic, planktotrophic larvae develop into adults with different trophic habits.
Jim arrived at the Australian Museum on 15 January 2004 and departed on 20 January.
