I am a new Research Assistant Professor in the Soil and Water Sciences Department (as of January 2017). I obtained a dual Ph.D. degree in Microbiology / Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior at Michigan State University in 2012. I have a strong passion in understanding fundamental ecological processes, especially in exploring factors affecting community diversity and compositions. The variability that can be observed in the structure of communities across diverse environments and over time is particularly fascinating and has significant implications for more broadly understanding fundamental ecological processes. Key topics of interest include microbial succession, microbial diversity-function relationships, partition of stochastic and deterministic factors in community formations, and the role of microbes in biogeochemical cycles. I am also interested in how human activities affect natural systems. One such example is the nutrient loadings into aquatic ecosystems. My current research involves understanding phosphorus cycles in Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) in the Everglades system. I strongly believe that the conservation of ecosystems is the most important endeavor that we as humans undertake as we progress through the early 21st century.
