Hello! Thank you for visiting my website. I look forward to sharing with you about my life, my research, and my goals while you are here today.
I am currently a PhD Candidate in the Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at The University of Texas at Austin. My major advisor is Dr. Larry Gilbert. I am an ecologist who studies species interactions, and how they emerge to affect community structure and stability. Most of my research revolves around the question of "Why do most herbivorous insects specialize on particular plants?" My research takes a trait-based approach to understanding species interactions. My toolset is broad as evidenced by the variety of systems that I have worked in. I have a lot of experience doing chemical ecology, metabolomic bioinformatics, growth-based greenhouse or insectary experiments, experimental design, and longer-term field observational studies. I strive to base all my work solidly in the context of organismal natural history and theory.
In the summer of 2023 I will begin a Post-doctoral Fellowship at the UT Austin Brackenridge Field Laboratory with Drs Rob Plowes and Larry Gilbert. In this capacity, I will continue studying the ecology of invasive prickly pear cactus moths and introduced pasture grasses in Texas. The goal of our research program is to characterize mechanisms that make introduced species successful in a comparative context so that we can leverage that information for biocontrol of harmful invasive species.
Hello! Thank you for visiting my website. I look forward to sharing with you about my life, my research, and my goals while you are here today.
I am currently a PhD Candidate in the Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at The University of Texas at Austin. My major advisor is Dr. Larry Gilbert. I am an ecologist who studies species interactions, and how they emerge to affect community structure and stability. Most of my research revolves around the question of "Why do most herbivorous insects specialize on particular plants?" My research takes a trait-based approach to understanding species interactions. My toolset is broad as evidenced by the variety of systems that I have worked in. I have a lot of experience doing chemical ecology, metabolomic bioinformatics, growth-based greenhouse or insectary experiments, experimental design, and longer-term field observational studies. I strive to base all my work solidly in the context of organismal natural history and theory.
In the summer of 2023 I will begin a Post-doctoral Fellowship at the UT Austin Brackenridge Field Laboratory with Drs Rob Plowes and Larry Gilbert. In this capacity, I will continue studying the ecology of invasive prickly pear cactus moths and introduced pasture grasses in Texas. The goal of our research program is to characterize mechanisms that make introduced species successful in a comparative context so that we can leverage that information for biocontrol of harmful invasive species.
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Heredia Pr., Costa Rica looking west towards the Carribbean. Photo taken above La Selva Biological Station Arboretum -August, 2018.
