I am currently a PhD Candidate in Ecology at UC Davis in the UC Rangelands Lab where I am co-advised by Dr. Leslie Roche and Dr. Elise Gornish. My research focuses on integrating strip seeding, targeted grazing, and prescribed burns to promote native perennial grass establishment and reduce invasive annual grass cover in California grasslands. I am broadly interested in how invasive species alter ecosystem function, and the restoration of natural spaces for multiple benefits and land uses.
Before my time at UC Davis, I earned a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Conservation Biology and Ecology at Arizona State University. I completed my honors thesis on the effects of nutrient addition and surface rock cover on Sonoran Desert annual plants under the guidance of Dr. Sharon Hall. As an Arizona native, I have a particular fondness for arid and semi-arid systems.
I devote my free time to efforts to better connect science with many facets of society. I am on the leadership team of Science Informed Leadership, an organization that advocates for non-partisan, science-based decision making in government. Additionally, I am a member of the Outreach and Education committee of the Davis Chapter of the Society of Conservation Biology and a mentor for the Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) program through the Center for Land Based Learning.