I am currently pursuing a PhD on "Engineering approaches to understanding the functional and ecological implications of small-scale morphological variation in an evolutionary context" in croatian lizards. It consists in investigating the relationship between morphology, jaw musculature, muscular physiology and ecology in order to understand the functional impact (on bite force and subsequently diet) of subtile morphological changes. Jaw muscle dissections, morphogeometric analyses, as well as the study of jaw movements during food processing will be useful to construct a dynamic biomechanical model of the skull. This mechanical approach is an important part of my project which will allow me to bridge the gap between microevolutionary changes in morphology and macroevolutionary changes in diet.