I am interested in understanding the ecological and macroevolutionary processes that have shaped the biodiversity of tropical decapod crustaceans throughout time, via integration of paleontological and neontological approaches. Particularly, I am interested in unraveling the phylogenetic relationships among the main crab clades, the evolution of their visual systems through time, and the role of the Neotropics in the early evolution and diversification of certain decapod clades. I have chosen decapods as a study system because they have a good fossil record and are abundant and relatively well known in modern ecosystems.