Research

My research combines synthesis with observational studies and experimental approaches to understand how plant communities drive ecosystem functions and services, particularly in the face of environmental change. Currently, as a Research Assistant Professor at the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and Michigan Tech University, much of my research focuses on how land management affects carbon cycling and other fundamental ecosystem processes. In addition to on-going primary research projects, I synthesize scientific research and translate relevant science for effective land management and decision-making. As a post-doc at the University of Minnesota, I worked with the newly established Minneapolis-St. Paul Long Term Ecological Research (MSP LTER) program to understand patterns and processes of urban forest resilience and resistance to environmental change. I also collaborated with the Nutrient Network project to assess how nutrient pollution and grazing affect plant and soil C and nitrogen dynamics across temperate grasslands. In my dissertation research, I focused on developing a better predictive understanding of how above- and below-ground plant traits both affect and respond to variation in soil properties to drive essential ecosystem processes.