Research

I am an ecologist whose work spans ecotoxicology, community ecology, and the movement of energy and pollutants across ecosystem boundaries. My dissertation research examines how mercury moves through the environment and accumulates in organisms, with consequences for wildlife and the human communities that share these landscapes. But my interest in ecological systems runs broader than contamination alone. I am drawn to questions about how communities are structured, how energy moves across ecosystem boundaries. This has taken me from the longleaf pine forests of Florida to the floodplains of Virginia's South River to the riparian forests of the Ecuadorian Amazon and Highlands. Across these projects I have developed field expertise in identifying and sampling a wide range of taxa, including birds, herpetofauna, mammals, arachnids, and insects. I also have expereince doing stable isotope analysis, trace metal quantification, and spatial analysis. Much of my work has carried an explicit conservation dimension, from contributing to eastern indigo snake reintroduction efforts, to conducting Bachman's sparrow surveys, to communicating research findings directly to indigenous Amazonian communities living on mining-impacted lands.

This research shapes how I think about both teaching and public engagement. I believe students develop the deepest understanding of ecological systems when they encounter them directly in the field. Learning to identify the plants and animals around you opens your eyes to things previously unnoticed. It creates a sense of place and connection that students can carry long after a course ends. Beyond the classroom, I try to cultivate that same spirit of curiosity through public writing in The Conversation, talks at bird club meetings, and leading bird walks that introduce people to the natural world. Whether I am explaining mercury bioaccumulation to a senator's staffer or helping someone identify their first warbler, the goal is the same; making something complex feel alive and worth caring about.

Aquatic to terrestrial mercury transport in riparian spiders of the Ecuadorian Amazon and Andes along two ASGM-impacted river systems

My PhD research examined the ecological consequences of mercury contamination associated with artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), the largest global source of anthropogenic mercury pollution. Focusing on tropical riparian systems in South America, I investigated how mercury persists in the environment, is transformed into bioavailable methylmercury, and subsequently moves through aquatic and terrestrial food webs. In particular, my work evaluated the role of emergent aquatic insects in transferring contaminants across ecosystem boundaries. I used riparian spiders as a sentinel species to detect this process. My research represents the first documented evidence of mercury transport from the Napo and Puyango-Tumbes rivers into nearby terrestrial wildlife. By comparing regions with long-standing mining activity to those in the early stages of ASGM expansion, my research also provides insight into the spatial and temporal dynamics of contaminant exposure and its implications for ecosystem and human health.

The dietary transfer of methylmercury in the South River floodplain

My master’s research at the College of William & Mary examined the dietary transfer of methylmercury across aquatic and terrestrial food webs in the South River floodplain. By combining stable-isotope and mercury data, I evaluated whether wolf spiders acquired mercury primarily through emergent aquatic insect prey or through terrestrial pathways within the contaminated floodplain. This work built on previous research that found forest-dwelling birds without a direct trophic connection to the river had elevated mercury. These birds accumulated that mercury predominantly from wolf spider prey. My research attempted to uncover the pathway driving contaminant exposure in riparian predators, and contributed to a broader understanding of how legacy pollution in aquatic systems can influence adjacent terrestrial ecosystems.

Indigo snake reintroduction and bird nest predation monitoring

As a technician working with Auburn University, I contributed to an eastern indigo snake reintroduction project in Conecuh National Forest, Alabama. My work focused on characterizing the local bird community and establishing a nest box and camera trap array to monitor nest predation dynamics. This was to help understand how reintroduced indigo snakes, which eat many other snake species that are nest predators, might impact nesting success.

Science communication and wildlife surveys with the NCWRC

As a Wildlife Conservation Technician with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, I contributed to both field research and science communication. My field work included canoe-based riparian breeding bird surveys, Bachman's sparrow surveys in longleaf pine savannahs, and participation in white-tailed deer translocations. On the science communication side, I developed and managed a comprehensive public outreach program for the North Carolina Birding Trail. This included managing NCBT social media, representing the trail at public events and bird club meetings, and redesigning the NCBT website and guide book. In addition, I rebuilt the Birder Friendly Business program by co-developing an online course for prospective partners with NC State University Cooperative Extension.

Lyme disease ecology

I worked on a Lyme disease ecology project at Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee, Florida as an National Science Foundation Research Expereince for Undergraduates Fellow. I surveyed tick communities and host populations using mark-recapture, and designed an independent project examining the feeding success of nymphal black-legged ticks on broadheaded skinks and cotton mice — two locally abundant hosts with potentially differing roles in tick population dynamics and Borrelia burgdorferi transmission. Results from this work contributed to posters presented at the International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases and the Michigan Mosquito Control Association Conference.

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