About
I’m a quantitative ecologist interested in understanding the distribution of species and community structure across spatial scales, with a goal toward empirically-guided conservation and management in a changing world. I am particularly interested in using Bayesian statistics and mechanistic simulations to address the roles of stochasticity and uncertainty in complex systems.
Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lausanne focused on the spatial distribution of traits and trait variation, as well as methods for integrating citizen science collections with structured samples to understand the patterns and drivers of species diversity. My past work has included sampling of ant communities in Colorado, USA to evaluate hypothesized drivers of community structure and to detect responses to climate change, constructing mechanistic simulations of invasive plant species to compare management strategies, and using theoretical population simulations to quantify how population variability impacts our ability to detect responses to climate change.
You can find more about my academic work on my research and publications pages. I am passionate about education and believe firmly in the value of a broadly educated populace. See more about my teaching experience and philosophy on my teaching page. There are also links to some tools and tutorials I’ve created. Right now, I’m living in Lausanne, Switzerland where I spend my free time biking, hiking, skiing, baking, and visiting new places (when not on lockdown).