Rob and researchers in his group work on phylogenetic inference, molecular evolution, population and conservation genetics, and evolutionary genomics of a wide array of life forms ranging from viruses, bacteria, corals, and plants, to all kinds of insects, reptiles, and mammals. Rob is also Adjunct Professor at Columbia University (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology), Distinguished Professor in Residence at New York University (Department of Biology), Adjunct Professor at City University of New York (Subprogram in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior), Resource Faculty at the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, and Professor at the AMNH Richard Gilder Graduate School.  As of the summer of 2008 Rob is the Editor-in-Chief of Mitochondrial DNA, as well as an editorial board member for journals such as PLoS ONE, Journal of Heredity, Zoo Biology. Rob studied biology at the University of Chicago, obtained his Ph.D. from Washington University, and trained as a post-doc at UC Berkeley (Allan Wilson's lab) and Washington University (Dan Hartl's lab) studying the molecular systematics and radiation of Hawaiian drosophilas. Following an assistant professor's position at Yale University, he joined the AMNH staff in 1991.

Curatorial Responsibility: Molecular Systematics