Education
PhD (2020) Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. (2012), Biology with emphasis in evolution, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Thesis: The abiotic determinants of abundance of the West Nile virus vector, Culex pipiens in suburban Chicago, USA. Advisors: Tony Goldberg and Tavis Anderson

Research Interests
My focus lies at the intersection of several fields including: entomology, ecology, and conservation.  I am a bumble bee ecologist interested in how the spatial and temporal availability of floral resources affects bumble bee behavior, distribution, and abundance within agricultural landscapes.  Using a combination of field, laboratory experimentation, and modeling approaches, I aim to both test the ecological theory of resource abundance on mobile organisms, as well as use experimental results to develop applied tools for bumble bee conservation in the agricultural lands of Wisconsin.

Additionally, I am interested in the dissemination of scholarship via digital media, including photography, video, and the web.  It is my goal to share even complex research in an understandable, informative, and, if possible, entertaining manner.  I am also an active member in our department’s graduate student organization, as well the coordinator of our departmental outreach group, the Insect Ambassadors.

Personal Interests
Rock climbing, photography, mountain and road cycling.

Affiliations
Entomological Society of America, Ecological Society of America, Wisconsin Ecology, JF Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation