I have traditionally worked on deformed metamorphic rocks and tectonites, particularly rocks that have reached high enough temperatures for crystal-plastic (commonly referred to as "ductile") deformation or a mixture of crystal-plastic and brittle-style deformation.  I ask questions about how minerals accommodate deformation in polymineralic rocks, how fabrics develop and evolve at the mineral scale, how the rheology of different rock layers influence the strength and behavior of a deforming system, and what the deformation history of a rock at the mineral scale could say about the tectonic history of an area.  To address these questions, I typically start with outcrop-scale field observations, structural measurements, and targeted sample collection and then follow up with detailed microstructural and petrogenetic analyses of collected samples using the petrographic microscope, the scanning electron microscope (including EBSD mineral orientation analysis), and the electron microprobe, as needed.  I also am happy to lend my expertise in mineral growth and deformation to address interesting questions in other areas, such as volcanology or building materials analysis, or to utilize new or innovative approaches to answering research questions.