Jackie’s research focuses on understanding the processes that underlie species diversification and phenotypic evolution by integrating analysis of character trait data with phylogenetic approaches. For her dissertation she is studying the Weavers (family Ploceidae), an Old World radiation of sparrow-like birds distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The 117 species that comprise the family exhibit marked variation in plumage color, bill morphology, sociality and mating systems, and are best known for their elaborately designed nests. The primary goals of her research are to characterize the nest diversity across species, identify the selective forces that have influenced nest design throughout the family, and investigate molecular patterns of evolution using whole genomes. As part of this work Jackie has collected morphological data from museum specimens and their nests by working in natural history collections in both the U.S. and Europe. On campus, with the help of her undergraduate research assistants, she combines this data with DNA sequence data in order to address the broader goals of her research.