I am interested in studying the biodiversity of coral reefs, with emphasis on marine sponges inhabiting sciophilous environments (caves, caverns, overhangs, coral rubble) within shallow and mesophotic coral reefs. I am also interested in ecological interactions between sponges and other marine organisms (i.e., corals, ascidians, fish, and zoantharians), as well as understanding the evolutionary history (biogeography, systematics, speciation and morphological evolution) of calcareous sponges and their ecological response with regards to climate change within tropical coral reef ecosystems.