I am an urban ecologist interested in the well-being of ecosystems and connecting people to nature. My research aims to improve ecosystem resilience and optimize ecosystem services in the face of environmental threats, especially in the places where people live, work, and recreate. I have expertise in botany, plant phenology, invasion biology, landscape ecology, and ecosystem-level interactions. Flora is often the common thread on projects spanning interactions with multiple taxa such as pathogens, pollinators, and herbivores. Despite a deep-rooted ‘plant lady’ science identity, I enjoy integrating natural science research questions with social science methods. Collecting data on humans helps me to evaluate bridges and barriers to achieving environmental goals, program outcomes, environmental justice and social equity.  As a part of Bioprotection Aotearoa at Lincoln University, I am assessing local to national strategies to prevent biological invasions and synthesizing best practices for the protection of biodiversity and cultural values. My goal is to generate tools, methods, and guides that are relevant for land managers in their aims to safeguard ecosystems from future biological threats.

Past fellowships include the USA National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2016-2021) and University of Colorado Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science Graduate Research Fellowship (2020-2021).