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 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.