I use optimality models to explore how individuals should gather and use information. I am particularly interested right now in safety cues, the predicted effects of uncertainty on population dynamics, and transgenerational plasticity.

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I am interested in how organisms utilize cues in their environment – specifically those originating from conspecifics – to inform their behavioral decisions. I am currently exploring the concept of safety cues, which act in opposition to danger cues and carry information indicating that predation risk is low. Prey that detect safety cues should more readily perform conspicuous behaviors such as foraging and mating since their informational environment informs them that their environment is currently low-risk. My research uses the freshwater snail, Physa acuta, as prey and the crayfish, Orconectes simulans, as the source of predator cues.

Olivia started her Master's degree work in lab the Fall of 2022. She is testing fear generalization in snails, which is measuring how responses to different stressors are correlated within individuals.

Nguvan started her PhD degree in lab the Fall of 2023. She is part of the quail team making an Integrated Population Model for Northern Bobwhite Quail.

Nik started his PhD degree in lab the Fall of 2023. He is part of the quail team making an Integrated Population Model for Northern Bobwhite Quail.

Scott recently completed his PhD where he examined the interaction of food limitation and parental predator experiences on the phenotypes of offspring. He is soon starting a post-doctoral position with Dr. Burt Kotler.

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Jaime in May of 2022 completed her Masters thesis where she compared the sizes of maternal and paternal effects in Physa acuta snails

Kat in July of 2020 completed her Masters thesis where she tested how a population's past exposure to reliable or less reliable predation risk cues affects how snails behave in the absence and presence of predation risk cues

Allison in December of 2019 completed her Masters thesis where she tested how a population's past exposure of zinc contamination affects their life history patterns in the presence of different levels of zinc contamination