As a university professor for ~20 years, I split my time between ecological research, teaching, and building the capacity of the community of mathematical biology educators.

 

From August 2021 - February 2025, I served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Environmental Biology.  I worked on a range of programs, from those focused on ecology, disease transmission, and pandemic prevention, to others focused on graduate education, teacher research training, and diversifying the institutions receiving research awards. 

 

On the ecology side, I am interested in how species interact, particular those that don't get along well, like parasites and their hosts, and predators and their prey. Much of my research has been trying to understand how those interactions depend on the identity and diversity of other species in the community, and the consequences of these interactions, usually in freshwater ponds and lakes.​