I am a PhD student at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  My research will focus on the North American millipede family Euryuridae, a group of relatively large and colorful Polydesmids.  I plan to use morphological and molecular characters to work out the systematics of the group and will also research the phylogeography.  Currently, this group is divided into three genera comprising twelve species.  The sole species of the genus Illiniurus is known from only one specimen which has been lost.  An expedition is being planned to find more representatives of this species. My research is part of Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET), an NSF program.