Research
I am a quantitative ecologist who uses theoretical ecology and evolution to study the conservation of rare and unique ecosystems. In particular, I am interested in building and analyzing dynamical models that can explore whether or not recent technological developments or risky management practices could change the future of conservation. This type of research is very interdisciplinary, requiring strong foundations in ecology, mathematics, and statistics, but it also linked to management, policy, economics, and ethics. Therefore, my research is often at the intersection of many academic disciplines, allowing me to collaborate with others, communicating abstract theoretical insight into ideas that will have an impact in the real world. While ecological modeling is my primary tool, I am always expanding this toolbox to reach beyond my core of mathematical ecology.
The following pages provide brief descriptions of some of the research projects I've worked on over my years as an academic. For each item, I've also linked related papers for further reading, in case you want to learn more about the topic or read about it from another perspective. I try to keep these updated as more work comes out, but I might be missing something. Please feel free to contact me if you think I should include another appropriate reference!
If you don't need the context, see my Google Scholar page.
The following pages provide brief descriptions of some of the research projects I've worked on over my years as an academic. For each item, I've also linked related papers for further reading, in case you want to learn more about the topic or read about it from another perspective. I try to keep these updated as more work comes out, but I might be missing something. Please feel free to contact me if you think I should include another appropriate reference!
If you don't need the context, see my Google Scholar page.
Gene drivesSome genes known as gene drives are inherited by over 50% of offspring. After a few generations, these gene drives could spread through an entire population. We could use this to spread beneficial genes to endangered species or harmful genes to invasive species. I use dynamical models to study how this technology might be used for conservation.
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Managed relocation and alternativesSome species can't keep up with rapidly changing climates. Managed relocation is the intentional movement of species and genotypes beyond their historical ranges. While this could save some dispersal-limited species from extinction, moving species into novel ecosystems could create invasive species or loss of genetic diversity. I model the managed relocation of species to study those risks and benefits without exposing vulnerable ecosystems to those risks.
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Ecological uncertainty and decision making
When modeling completely novel conservation strategies, we have very little precedent under which we can predict ecological outcomes. While we can build ecological models from theoretical foundations and add stochasticity, this approach has a limited scope. Some uncertainties are so unexpected and unknown that we cannot predict them, much less imagine them. I am interested in attempting to modeling these "unknown unknowns" and developing robust decsion making approaches in conservation that can hold up against them.
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Other
All of my research cannot fit neatly within a few categories. Here are a few other things I've studied.
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