Uncovering the consequences of interconnectedness in nature
In an era of pressing global change, ecologists are increasingly asked to make predictions. I, too, am interested in making predictions about how such change will affect ecosystems, but I'm also interested in when and where such predictions are relevant, accurate, or even possible. I'm a scientist who sits squarely between the worlds of experimentation and ecological theory. As such, I'm interested in questions of translation: how do we translate between the observable world and the mathematical or philosophical tools we use to make sense of the natural world?
During my Ph.D. in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, I used experimental approaches to understand how diverse communities of species are formed, persist, and change under pressure from a changing ocean. As a James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Studying Complex Systems, I explore new ways to think about communities, drawing from emerging techniques in network science to make ecological predictions in the context of global change.
My research questions follow two general lines of inquiry, with an ongoing focus on marine ecosystems:
During my Ph.D. in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, I used experimental approaches to understand how diverse communities of species are formed, persist, and change under pressure from a changing ocean. As a James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Studying Complex Systems, I explore new ways to think about communities, drawing from emerging techniques in network science to make ecological predictions in the context of global change.
My research questions follow two general lines of inquiry, with an ongoing focus on marine ecosystems:
- Consequences of species interactions for the structure & stability of diverse communities
- Moving beyond idiosyncrasy and context-dependency in ecological predictions
Professional Appointments |
Education
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James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-Present)
Boettiger Lab Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management University of California, Berkeley CA Instructor, Marine Biology & Ecology (2017) Upper-division field course (section on marine algae) Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport OR Science Policy Graduate Research Assistant (2015-2016) Dr. Jane Lubchenco Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University, Corvallis OR EPA STAR Graduate Research Fellow in Global Change (2012-2015) Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University, Corvallis OR Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant (2010-2012) Menge Lab & Hacker Lab Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans Department of Integrative Biology (formerly Zoology) Oregon State University, Corvallis OR Undergraduate Research Assistant (2008-2009) Pfister Lab & Wootton Lab Department of Ecology & Evolution University of Chicago, Chicago IL |
Oregon State University (2010 - 2016)
Ph.D., Department of Integrative Biology Ph.D. minor, Statistics Thesis: Predictability & constraints on the structure of ecological communities in the context of climate change Advisors: Drs. Bruce Menge & Sally Hacker University of Chicago (2005 - 2009) B.A. Honors, Biological Sciences B.A. Specialization in Ecology & Evolution Thesis: The mixed mating system of the sea palm kelp Advisor: Dr. Catherine Pfister Grants & Awards
JSMF Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2016
OSU Lenore Bayley Graduate Fellowship, 2015 ESA Aquatic Section Best Student Talk Award, 2015 Oregon Lottery Merit Scholarship, 2013 Oregon State College of Science Travel Award, 2013 EPA STAR Graduate Research Fellowship, 2012 OSU Hatfield Mamie Markham Grant, 2012 Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research, 2012 OSU Integrative Biology Annual Grant, 2011-2015 NSF GRF Honorable Mention, 2011 University of Chicago Biology Research Fellowship, 2008 |
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