Recent News
Early in 2021, I worked with NOAA scientists stationed at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center to release our preliminary analysis of discard mortality of pelagic sharks in the Hawai'i and American Samoa pelagic longline fisheries. By analyzing an impressive dataset of satellite telemetry survival tags deployed by Melanie Hutchinson and observers in the National Observer Program, we identified which species had higher discard mortality rates and which handling practices influenced those rates. This work has already been capitalized on by the Hawaiian Longline Association to promote changes in handling practices of pelagic sharks.
About Me
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I am a quantitative ecologist studying patterns across the ecological hierarchy in search of the processes that link individuals to populations, populations to communities, and communities to ecosystems. I specialize in integrating analytical methods into synthetic models aimed at providing robust inference and filling data gaps. I have applied these integrated models in a broad set of interdisciplinary problems ranging from building risk maps for conservation and natural resource priority species to estimating life history characteristics of data-deficient species. Above all, I enjoy solving puzzles across the natural sciences. With a background in biology and chemistry, it is no wonder that my other interests feature these subjects prominently. I am an avid gardener with a collection of Zingiberales and orchids. I take much of my gardening inspiration by exploring the natural world and especially enjoy hunting for rare plants in situ. I try my hand at photography both in the garden and out exploring so the photos featured here are my own. |
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My BackgroundI grew up exploring the Southwestern United States and Eastern North America. I received a B.S. in Biology and B.A in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I stayed there for my M.S. studying the spatial and movement ecology of Basking Sharks in the Bay of Fundy. I finished my PhD at the University of Florida in 2017 studying the role of habitat in structuring aquatic vertebrate interactions. I was a postdoctoral researcher at UF from 2018-2020.
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