I research organismal spatial ecology; specifically how animals move within their environments and why communities are where they are. I use a computational and quantitative ecology toolbox to connect locational data to large-scale environmental data sets and work with collaborative research partners across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.

My postdoctoral research focuses on substrate mobility as a disturbance in marine systems. For soft-sediment communities, such as sandy beaches, the interaction between waves and currents and sediment disturbance is well understood. This allows us to measure sediment mobility and to create detailed predictions for marine ecosystems. Currently there are no measurements analogous to sediment mobility in marine hard rock habitats. My research will investigate a potential measurement system which connects the forces of waves and currents to the resulting erosion of hard rock substrates and will test and evaluate how these disturbance patterns govern the distribution of communities themselves. This project is currently recruiting undergraduate researchers who will (1) gain field and data analysis experience, (2) obtain professional mentoring, and (3) expand their professional network.

*If interested please look at the CSUMB REU program and the NOAA CCME program.

I practice science as a creative endeavor.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. - Albert Einstein