As of 2018, I hold an appointment with UCLA in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as an Assistant Adjunct Professor where I teach upper-division courses in Ecology and Evolution.

Since 2015, I have served as the Director of Research at the UCLA administered Stunt Ranch Reserve, which is one of 41 Reserves in the UC Natural Reserve System.

From 2015-2018, I held a postdoctoral position with the National Park Service and UCLA where I led a multi-year genomics project to inform the NPS of the status of three amphibian species in the park. These data will be used to help guide long-term management strategies and assist the NPS in the broader goal of conserving natural resources.

To review my professional achievements, please download my CV.

ABOUT

my role at Stunt Ranch

Director of Research

Stunt Ranch Reserve

Calabasas, CA

The UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve is a 310 acre preserve located in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. My main goal in this position is to increase research that is related to California conservation and answering what effects drought, global climate change, fragmentation, and introduced species are having on ecological and evolutionary processes.

Contact me if you are interested in pursuing research at Stunt Ranch.

RESEARCH

at UCLA & across California

Assistant Adjunct Professor

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

UCLA

My research focuses on a few topics, including a major theme that questions the evolution and ecology of amphibian chemical defenses (specifically, newts and their tetrodotoxin poison), amphibian conservation and population dynamics in response to environmental change, and stream ecology and community dynamics. I rely on  a mix of field ecology, genomics, and chemistry to answer the majority of my research questions.