My fisheries research has primarily focused on lotic systems in the southeast and midwestern US and I have used a variety of field, laboratory, and computational techniques to address different questions. The primary themes of my research in this area includes (1) stream fish ecology and assemblage change in the southeastern US, (2) development of fish harvest and survey methods, and (3) analysis of aquatic species behavior using direct observation in the field and/or laboratory and fine-scale acoustic telemetry.

Most of my non-native species research has focused on fishes. My research in this area has included assessing fish escapement from ornamental aquaculture facilities, thermal tolerance and phenotypic change of non-native fishes, biotic resistance, and the use of life history traits and various risk-screening tools to predict risk of establishment, spread, and impacts by non-native fishes. 

I am interested in habitat suitability modeling and have developed models for several species, some terrestrial and some aquatic. The purpose of these models is to guide survey efforts for rare species in hopes of finding new populations. I also use GIS to plan population surveys for rare species like the gopher tortoise, and assess the integrity of wetlands in Alabama as a complement to field surveys.