I am an ecologist and evolutionary biologist interested in quantifying responses to environmental change across biological scales (Individual → Communities). I am particularly focused on integrating organismal biology, ecological modeling, and molecular ecology to better understand the evolutionary consequences of anthropogenic activities.
I received my Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Alabama with Ryan Earley where I focused on plasticity, species distribution modeling, Bayesian hierarchal modeling, and seascape genetics using a small primarily self-fertilizing killifish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) that inhabits the highly fragmented mangrove forests of Central America, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Florida. However, I am motivated by the question rather than the taxa with projects utilizing stickleback, the brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri), the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), and more.
As an NSF-funded postdoc, I am working with Kristin Winchell at NYU on the impact of urbanization and climatic variation on the ecology and microevolution of urban salamanders. Through this work, we aim to combine ecological modeling, geometric morphometrics, thermal ecology, and whole genome sequencing to evaluate how anthropogenic activities impact native populations and drive rapid shifts in the distribution of traits and allele frequencies in an environmentally sensitive group.
In my free time, I enjoy trying new things, traveling, and exploring nature. I also play the piano, and I am an avid scuba diver.