RESEARCH INTERESTS

UPDATE: As of December 2009, I can be reached at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Please click here for updated contact information.

     My primary research interests include theoretical and spatial ecology with an emphasis on the dynamics, management, and conservation of aquatic ecosystems.

     I am an Assistant Scientist in the Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. I recently completed a postdoctoral research position with Dr. Alan Hastings and Dr. Jim Sanchirico in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis. As a postdoctoral fellow with the Bahamas Biocomplexity Project, my work focused on how marine reserves might alter community dynamics, susceptibility to bioinvasions, and the bioeconomic tradeoffs associated with ecosystem-based fisheries management. I received my Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from UCSB in June 2004 under the guidance of Dr. Steve Gaines and Dr. Roger Nisbet. My dissertation work examined the implications of spillover, density-dependence, and fishing behavior for marine reserve designation using spatially-explicit models.

     Connecting theoretical and empirical applications to tackle applied ecological questions has been an underlying theme throughout my research. My previous projects using a multi-tiered approach have included studies on watershed restoration, intertidal runoff, aquaculture development and diesel contamination in a salt marsh. Integrating scientific research with coastal resource management is central to my research, and as such I continue to build upon my former experience as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow at NOAA through working groups and collaborative projects that bring together ecological and socioeconomic studies.