Research Interests
My research at RSMAS focuses on the dispersal of spiny lobster larvae through the Caribbean. We are using individual based modeling, combining empirical fishery and biological data with probabilistic models, to describe demographic connectivity relevant to fisheries management and conservation throughout the Caribbean. On a finer scale we are investigating the behaviors involved with larval settlement, as lobsters swim from the pelagic ocean to nearshore habitat. In the waters offshore of Miami we are deploying lobster postlarvae within the Drifting In Situ Chamber (DISC) to examine what environmental cues guide lobsters towards the coast.
Bio
I was born and raised in Washington DC and the surrounding suburbs. My dad is a senior scientist at the EPA and my mom works for Montgomery County, Maryland as a speech and language therapist. I have a younger brother who works as a CPA for a federal advisory company. Outside of science, I have worked since the tender age of 15 as a referee for basketball and soccer, as a valet at a high-powered Washingtonian country club, and as a bartender. I have an undying fascination with reptiles (specifically snakes), amphibians, and pretty much any animal other than house cats. I am an avid outdoorsman, who enjoys strenuous backpacking trips, fly fishing and whitewater rafting. I played soccer and basketball on a variety of teams throughout high school and dabbled in rugby for a year in college before it broke me. My artistic talent is cooking, especially baking and stewing. I listen to a broad range of music but find harder rock and industrial the most stimulating. My absolute favorite courses during undergraduate were animal behavior and ecophysiology.