Dr. Ferry's research is within the field called Functional Morphology. Quite simply, Functional Morphology is the study of organism structure (i.e., anatomy) and function (e.g., how it works in a particular context). Her research uses primarily fishes, the most diverse of all the vertebrates, and is focused in particular on traits/behaviors associated with the jaws, how they function, and why they evolved. Her work includes the study of prey acquisition and processing in diverse species, and how fish generate water flow into the head and over the respiratory structures.