https://tollislab.org/news daily 0.75 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524958278342-4QVV7PBL96RT7IEXQ1MW/dsc_0432.jpg News https://tollislab.org/news/2026/1/3/fall-2025-wrap-up-and-into-the-holidays monthly 0.5 2026-01-03 https://tollislab.org/news/2025/11/29/lab-fall-2025-news monthly 0.5 2025-11-29 https://tollislab.org/news/2025/6/17/another-smrt-grant-awarded-to-the-lab monthly 0.5 2025-06-17 https://tollislab.org/news/2024/11/4/student-mentored-research-training-grant-funded monthly 0.5 2024-11-04 https://tollislab.org/news/2024/8/26/summer-2024-updates monthly 0.5 2024-08-26 https://tollislab.org/news/2023/8/2/new-squamate-genomics-review-paper monthly 0.5 2023-08-02 https://tollislab.org/news/2023/8/2/the-tollis-lab-is-nsf-funded monthly 0.5 2023-08-02 https://tollislab.org/news/2023/8/2/undergraduate-research-awards-for-tollis-lab-students-in-2023 monthly 0.5 2023-08-02 https://tollislab.org/news/2022/3/31/prestigious-nau-undergraduate-research-award-goes-to-jasmine-mendez-and-adam-wilson monthly 0.5 2022-03-31 https://tollislab.org/news/2022/3/31/turtle-phylogenomics-paper-is-published-in-systematic-biology monthly 0.5 2022-03-31 https://tollislab.org/news/2021/10/18/our-turtle-phylogenomics-manuscript-is-available monthly 0.5 2021-10-18 https://tollislab.org/news/2020/8/6/summer-update monthly 0.5 2020-08-06 https://tollislab.org/news/2020/4/7/new-mammalian-cancer-gene-duplications-preprint-available monthly 0.5 2020-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1586299546336-3AGEI14VLW74N5NN9CY8/Figure_1.jpg News - New Mammalian Cancer Gene Duplications preprint available! Our manuscript that looks at cancer gene duplications across mammals is available on bioRxiv. https://tollislab.org/news/2019/12/16/tuatara-genome-preprint-now-available monthly 0.5 2019-12-16 https://tollislab.org/news/2019/5/9/payton-smith-first-prize monthly 0.5 2019-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1558729283797-004B2TZ8AXBECM7PMIDX/IMG_8377.jpg News - Payton Smith = First Prize! https://tollislab.org/news/2019/5/9/whale-genomes-paper-now-available monthly 0.5 2019-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1557438581257-YZXA9IN20B6H0YTWJNWA/Center+for+Coastal+Studies_NOAApermit16325.jpg News - Whale genomes paper now available! Image of Salt, an adult female humpback whale, taken by the Center for Coastal Studies under NOAA research permit 16325. https://tollislab.org/news/2019/4/15/humpback-whale-genome monthly 0.5 2019-04-15 https://tollislab.org/home daily 1.0 2025-11-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524850216914-6D8K7I4MLFZ2FVL51OOL/c_atrox2.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524851841489-A6XXQHWVGXJ4AR1MOLIW/2014-07-10+11.30.14.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524855794731-7R460CE1QR903X2IUIAD/2014-07-10+13.34.25.jpg Home https://tollislab.org/people daily 0.75 2025-12-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/d4d975d4-bc36-4201-9357-8a5360681669/IMG_0004.jpeg People Emma Hagen (NAU class of 2026) Emma is majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and has joined the lab in summer 2025, working on a funded project developing ecological niche models for various projects as well as training other students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/e2481402-dbc1-41ea-bbc8-ca32088e52bf/IMG_7422+%281%29+copy.png People Sienna Hatfield (NAU class of 2025) Sienna graduated with a major in biology and a minor in environmental studies. She worked on number of funded projects that helped develop the ecological genomics methods in our lab. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/aadc5193-9679-4dbe-9555-85237ced48ef/John+Neddermeyer_2019.jpg People John Neddermeyer, Ph.D. (2024) Biology, NAU, postdoc in comparative genomics Dr. Neddermeyer started in the lab in December 2024 and will be primarily responsible for comparative genomics methods and developing the tools with our collaborators to coestimate rates of genomic and phenotypic evolution for our NSF-funded squamate project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/b9c9eeb9-c185-48db-91e9-96edc9f7065e/hLhGWWRk_400x400.jpg People Daniel Chavez, PhD (UCLA), former postdoc (2021-2023) Daniel has expertise in genome sequencing, assembly, bioinformatics, and evolutionary genetics and worked with us on the comparative genomics projects of the Arizona Cancer Evolution Center. He is now a professor at Universidad Indoamérica in Ecuador. We still work extensively with Daniel on multiple comparative oncology projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/3f2fec14-3e1b-4085-9deb-3220833afbf3/WhatsApp-Image-2024-04-09-at-21__FocusFillWyIwLjEzIiwiLTAuMTciLDQ5NSwzNjZd.41.08-Sophie-Matthews.jpg People Sophie Matthews, PhD student (University of Galway) Sophie spent an extremely productive autumn 2023 in the lab at NAU as a visiting international student. She quickly learned mammalian comparative genomics to investigate the relationship between gene copy number and cancer prevalence across species, and we published a paper together just a year later! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/726aaaee-5fd4-4d15-9a84-132f10afa9fb/photo_2.jpg People Vahid Nikoonejad Fard, Ph.D. candidate in Informatics, NAU Vahid has a Masters degree in Animal Genetics from the University of Tehran and started in the lab in 2021. He is researching comparative genomics of cancer resistance across vertebrates, mainly mammals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1603990441448-F0LOT6IANDCMSB6WHZEE/Simone_website.jpeg People Simone Gable, Ph.D. Informatics, NAU (2024) Dr. Gable defended her dissertation on phylogenomics and genome evoluton in reptiles in July 2024 and is currently a postdoc for the Earth Biogenome Project at Arizona State University. We miss her but we still work a lot with her! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1603988754756-LE2N81TB48I61G4HPWN6/website_photo.jpg People Marc Tollis, Ph.D. (Biology: Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior), City University of New York (2013) Associate Professor, School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University Curriculum vitae Google Scholar https://github.com/marctollis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/c07a1b88-5c86-487d-9e7a-c48bc2e1835d/Screenshot+2025-11-29+at+12.51.53+PM.png People Nicholas Osborn, EEB major, Honors College Nicholas started Fall 2025 as a freshman working on a project merging phenotypic and genomic datasets we will use to test hypotheses about phylogeny and limb reduction in skinks (Scincidae). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/6f940509-10f1-49d2-83cb-5646e2c9fe1d/Adam_Photo.jpg People Adam Wilson** Adam majored in Mathematics and Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Philosophy at NAU. He is currently researching transposable element evolution across squamates, using bioinformatics analysis tools and software. In his free time, he likes to read fantasy novels about dragons and practice adventure photography. Adam transferred to Johns Hopkins University in 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/ab6a8acd-8e93-4f28-aca1-0de301e2853c/20251030_130002.jpg People Sergei Kosushkin, PhD (2006), Russian Academy of Sciences, American Research Scholar, U.S. Fulbright Program Dr. Kosushkin is a skilled bioinformatician conducting a 6-month residency in the lab starting September 2025. He is developing new tools that identify and classify SINE retrotransposons in squamate genomes. We look forward to a productive international collaboration with him! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524926068858-HKATW7DXDV6VL5CIECLN/2014-07-08+12.05.42.jpg People https://tollislab.org/projects daily 0.75 2025-11-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524853474427-1P49ZZ8FQKDJMLI5BDGW/dinoFig.jpg Projects - The Genomic Mechanisms underlying Cancer Prevalence across Vertebrates We study the genomic mechanisms of cancer suppression in large, long-lived animals and across the tree of life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/6bb92b6e-1061-4c90-b02a-6ea66190c924/Screenshot+2025-11-29+at+12.08.58+PM.png Projects - The Evolution of Transposable Elements in Non-model Species We study the evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements within and between populations and species to understand how natural selection and demographic history account for the diversity of these ubiquitous genomic features. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/4d9ff559-cde2-4814-935a-f13a75ba08bb/Screenshot+2025-11-29+at+12.32.14+PM.png Projects - Comparative Phylogeography We develop methods that integrate genetic markers and historical environmental datasets to understand genetic variation and structure in populations and species across landscapes, and test demographic and biogeographic hypotheses of past and future species distributions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524853917223-10F7L6GLM2I9W8HF78T3/anolesGBE_tree.jpg Projects - Phylogenomics, Rates of Evolution, and the Genetics of Phenotypic Innovation We use genomic markers to reconstruct the evolutionary history of lizards, snakes and other vertebrates in order to understand how rates of molecular evolution are related to rates of phenotypic evolution and speciation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524850972389-SYBCYHVE2AQO5K928ATE/c_atrox2.jpg Projects https://tollislab.org/contact daily 0.75 2019-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524851056736-Q4GZTYMAH0FG9G3WAXQ8/longhorn2.jpg Contact https://tollislab.org/publications daily 0.75 2025-12-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/a856282d-6e62-4132-8a7f-e714177c0d70/Tollis+_CV_Spring2025.jpeg Publications Compton ZT, Harris V, Mellon W, Rupp S, Mallo D, Kapsetaki S, Wilmot M, Kennington R, Noble K, Baciu C, Ramirez L, Peraza A, Martins B, Sudhakar S, Aksoy S, Furukawa G, Vincze O, Giraudeau MT, Duke E, Spiro S, Flach E, Davidson H, Zehnder A, Graham TA, Troan B, Harrison T, Tollis M, Schiffman J, Aktipis CA, Abegglen L, Maley CC, Boddy AM (2024). Cancer Prevalence Across Vertebrates. Cancer Discovery. 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-0573. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/b57f04d4-89c3-476a-af43-462f3cab66d6/Tollis+_CV_Spring2025.jpeg Publications Nguyen ED, Fard VN, Kim BY, Collins S, Galey M, Nelson BR, Wakenight P, Gable SM, McKenna A, Bammler TK, MacDonald J, Okamura DM, Shendure J, Beier DR, Ramirez JM, Majesky MW, Millen KJ, Tollis M, Miller DE (2023). Genome Report: chromosome-scale genome assembly of the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). G3:Genes|Genomes|Genetics. 13(10), jkad177. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkad177 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae3578ff793922ebfb9daed/1524926244906-XWHE5LV6RKGJWC4YAD39/2014-07-10+13.34.30.jpg Publications https://tollislab.org/home-alt-bedford daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500612440-PGQSIY8KL9F7T5VIXQLO/chambers-2.jpg Home Alt A better world Starts with a choice Contact Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500503574-5BAPXZO9U06UV61P49UO/chambers1.jpg Home Alt Sustainability Starts with you Join Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500933384-LII4SRIPHFYOUFX0UCXC/chambers-4.jpg Home Alt A better world Starts with a choice Join Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390504287124-HQ8GNX1JCE22V047MSQ9/chambers-8.jpg Home Alt Preserve Nature Join Us