Abstract: My research has focused on the evolution of the heat shock proteins and the heat shock response. One focus of my research has been on the evolution and diversification of the small heat shock proteins and the Hsp70s. My lab has found that these proteins are highly diverse in land plants and that this diversity is not shared with green algae. This finding strongly suggests that the movement to land was a strong selective force driving the evolution of this ancient molecular response to temperature stress. In addition to examining the evolution of gene families across deeply divergent lineages my lab has also examined the evolution of the Hsps and gene expression patterns among closely related species and within species that differ in their ability to withstand temperature stress. The aims of these studies are to examine what aspects of the heat shock response are the most evolutionary labile and how these changes influence organismal traits.