We study how epithelial tubular organs – which are essential to life in all multicellular organisms – form and specialize. Using the simple unbranched tubes of the Drosophila salivary gland and the beautifully branched tubular network of the Drosophila respiratory system, we have learned how organ precursor cells are specified and we have discovered highly conserved transcription factors that control major aspects of organ form and function. Using a combination of classical and modern genetics, fixed and live high-resolution imaging in combination with genome-wide approaches, we are now uncovering the details of how these transcription factors coordinate morphogenesis with cell type specialization in the developing embryo. We are also leveraging our findings about the Drosophila salivary gland to develop strategies to block transmission of insect borne diseases. For more details on the systems we study, see Chung et al., 2014 or Loganathan et al., 2016.