Sonal Singhal

B.A. Washington University in St. Louis
Ph.D. University of California Berkeley
Postdoc Columbia University, University of Michigan

Office SCI 210
Tel (310) 243-3394
Email ssinghal@csudh.edu

Research Interest

We estimate that there are over 8.7 million species on earth, and we still have a lot to learn about how new species form. In my research, I use genetics to uncover how species evolve. I study the lizards & snakes of Australia and Brazil and desert flowers in Mexico. My research is powered by new tools that let us cheaply and efficiently collect genomic data, and I rely on computational approaches to analyze these data and learn more about the evolution of species.

My research encompasses three major topics: (1) understanding the connection between population-level processes and broad scale diversity patterns in lizards & snakes, (2) determining how parthenogenesis affects the genome evolution of lizards, and (3) disentangling the role of ecology and history in hybridizing desert plants. My teaching interests are in general biology, evolution, and bioinformatics, and I enjoy working with students in analyzing big data sets. 

Courses

Bio 124: Principles of Biology III
Bio 125: Principles of Biology III Lab
Bio 340: Genetics

Additional Information

Lab website: www.singhallab.org