Research

Biotic interactions across ecological and social systems.

My research studies how external drivers and internal networks jointly shape outcomes, from alpine succession and vegetation networks to student social capital in field courses.

Current Research

Questions I am asking now

Alpine Succession

How do soil microbes shape where plants can establish?

At the upper boundary of plant life, microbial community composition predicts where plants successfully colonize. This work links long-term vegetation change at Niwot Ridge to belowground communities, especially nutrient-cycling taxa associated with early establishment.

Hand-labeled view of Arikaree Glacier, red algae, Arikaree Peak, and the Continental Divide

Hand-labeled view of Green Lakes Valley and its lakes

Hand-labeled field transect near Green Lake 5

Hand-labeled field team selfie at Niwot Ridge

Field Education

How do social networks in field courses shape student outcomes?

Residential field courses can transform belonging, self-efficacy, and science identity. This mixed-methods project uses social network analysis and interviews to ask which student interactions build social capital and support persistence in field science.

Illustration about collaborating with field courses to assess student social networks

Students conducting rare plant monitoring during a field studies trip

Marine intertidal field studies trip at the coast

Vegetation Networks

How does biodiversity reorganize under climate change and disturbance?

Supported by an ESIIL working group grant, this synthesis develops methods for detecting how vegetation interaction networks reorganize under climate change, nutrients, grazing, drought, and disturbance across long-term datasets.