Dr. Tobalske studies comparative biomechanics of and functional morphology of animals. His research involves laboratory and field-based methods to measure three-dimensional motion, fluid dynamics, muscle physiology, material properties and structural design. One major area of his research involves bird flight, with current studies on escape maneuvers in hummingbirds, high-speed maneuvering in swallows, and the development of locomotion in nestling and fledgling birds. His work with invertebrates has included studies of the cost of sexually-selected weapons in beetles, and he is currently funded to study the mechanical consequences of gigantism in sea spiders. He is an associate professor and the director of the Field Research Station at Fort Missoula at the University of Montana. Tobalske lab page
Missoula, MT
United States