MARINELAND, Fla. – The University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series continues Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 6 p.m. with the program titled “How to Build a Spider in Just 400 Million Years”. Dr. Prashant Sharma – Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Director, University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum, will be the speaker.

This free lecture will be presented in person at the UF Whitney Laboratory Lohman Auditorium, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard, in St. Augustine. Those interested also have the option of registering to watch via Zoom live the night of the lecture.

Register to watch online: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rUu8dSPuQXCD6_eSPyMg_A

An overview of arachnid (e.g., spiders; scorpions; daddy-longlegs) diversity, phylogeny, and the developmental genetics of key arachnid-specific traits. This talk will encompass how molecular data have revolutionized our textbook understanding of arachnid relationships (and which groups can even be called “arachnids”), the discovery and impact of whole genome duplications on arachnid evolution, and how functional data are being used to test competing hypotheses of trait origins.

Prashant Sharma received his Bachelors in 2006 and his PhD in 2012 from Harvard University. He received a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship for training at the American Museum of Natural History, where he worked on the phylogenomics of invertebrates and developmental genetics of non-model arthropods. His research program focuses on the evolution of Chelicerata, a species-rich lineage that includes spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs. His phylogenetic work has challenged longstanding paradigms in the evolution of the arachnids, whereas his developmental genetic work has emphasized the underpinnings of lineage-specific traits and body plans. Since 2015, he has been a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; he has been awarded two prizes in teaching excellence, an NSF CAREER award, a Whitman Fellowship at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Wayland Noland Distinguished Professorship. He currently serves as the Faculty Director of UW-Madison’s Zoological Museum.

ABOUT WHITNEY LABORATORY FOR MARINE BIOSCIENCE

Whitney Laboratory is a biomedical marine research institute of the University of Florida. It is composed of 12 faculty-led laboratories that use marine organisms for basic biological research that can be applied to human health, understanding of local natural resources, and insight into our dynamic local environment. Whitney Laboratory provides training for future experimental scientists, education programs for kindergarten through university-level students, and monthly lectures for the general public to bring lifelong learning to the community. Whitney Laboratory also features a Sea Turtle Hospital, which promotes ocean awareness and conservation through sea turtle rehabilitation, research and education. Whitney Laboratory is located at 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, on the border of Flagler and St. Johns counties. For more information, visit www.whitney.ufl.edu or call 904-461-4000.

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