Welcome to the Rolian lab website!

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that the University of Calgary is on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

Our research aims to understand how morphology evolves. We use the mammal limb skeleton as a model to address three questions: (1) How does limb development evolve to produce diversity among species? (2) How does covariation in size and shape among limb bones impact their ability to evolve independently? (3) How does limb morphological variation affect locomotor performance across individuals?

We integrate data from multiple levels of biological organization (e.g., genomic, developmental, organismal), to define the mechanisms that have shaped limb ecomorphology in mammals.

Take a look around the website to find out more about our work, and thanks for visiting!