About Me

I combine approaches from mathematical biology, behavioral ecology, and the social sciences to address fundamental issues in collective behavior, especially the role of information gathering and processing in making individual and group decisions.

For my PhD, supervised by Fred Adler at the University of Utah, I built mechanistic mathematical models of biological learning and decision-making, analyzing them in the context of hypothetical foragers in variable environments. This included developing a new method for mapping optimal strategies onto any possible environment, and quantifying the benefit (or lack thereof) of learning in changing environments. Aside from my dissertation research, I was involved in a variety of side projects, including science outreach, conducting fieldwork on four continents, and public policy work related to COVID-19.

Now, as a SCEW Postdoctoral Fellow (advised by Erol Akçay, Josh Plotkin, and Gareth Roberts), I am focused on applying my ecological perspective and mathematical biology toolkit to real-world problems. Such problems include effective management of common-pool resources (including air and water pollution), making collective decisions about complex issues under high uncertainty (climate change and global energy transition), and public policy and corrupt incentive structures (subsidies supporting detrimental activities, such as oil & gas development).

My work is guided by a commitment to social and environmental good. I try to operate in Pasteur’s quadrant, which means doing basic research into fundamental problems which have meaningful applications. I conduct my research in order to maximize positive impact. I enjoy collaborating with other scientists inside and outside of academia, as well as with policymakers and individuals and organizations working on the ground in conservation and social justice.

I am widely curious and love finding surprising connections. I worked in ecological restoration and as a journalist, technical writer, mathematical consultant, and commercial beekeeper prior to my PhD. Raised partly on Pacific islands and partly in the deserts of the Mountain West, I’m at my best when I’m outside–mountaineering, trekking, paragliding, or roasting my own coffee beans!